


Biting the Bullet

by CoverFireGoddess880 (orphan_account)



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bar/Pub, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Drinking, Drug Use, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Explicit Sexual Content, Heavy Angst, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Mild Blood, Mild Language, Self-Harm, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, Unresolved Emotional Tension, sexual favors
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-20
Updated: 2018-03-10
Packaged: 2019-02-04 14:33:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12773085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/CoverFireGoddess880
Summary: Working for two years at Humphrey's Humpers is plain hell, and life is just too hard sometimes.But Noctis has to face his own personal demons before it's too late.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This one is going to be heavy. I'm sorry I keep doing this to Noct and Prompto, but I just have so many great ideas!
> 
> Warnings should be taken quite seriously right now. It gets very dirty right from the start.
> 
> Hope you like it.
> 
> P.S. There will be pairings later in the story

“Hey, pretty thing! Get yourself over here and bring us our drinks!”

A balding man cackled, sitting at one of the booths with another man, who looked like he had just gone bald himself.

Noctis groaned under his breath, trying to muster as sultry of a reply as he could. “Be right there, sweets,” he cooed, smirking from under the shadow of his raven bangs as he grabbed another tray of alcoholic beverages from the counter.

He glanced over at Prompto from out of the corner of his eye, as the blonde served another customer a drink. Prompto’s yelp echoed through the high ceilinged establishment, as his current customer, a bearded older man, pinched his ass rather hard.

“You free after this? Maybe we could sneak off to the back room,” he suggested, with a rather inappropriate glint in his eye.

Prompto only smiled and batted his eyelashes at the man. “No, sorry. I’ve already got someone else booked for tonight. Next week?” The blonde made sure to tilt his head in just the right way to make him look easy and cute to the man. It always worked for him.

The customer grinned widely, reaching over to pat the back of Prompto’s thigh, making the blonde giggle. “Yeah, next week. It’s a date, twinkie.”

As he walked back over to the counter where Noctis was placing napkins and peanuts on his tray, Prompto made a face at his club nickname. “I hate when they call me ‘twinkie’,” he leaned over and whispered to his friend.

Noctis huffed. “Just gotta pay the bills, Prompto.”

“Yeah, but couldn’t they call me something else? Even ‘blondie’ would be better than ‘twinkie’,” he complained, scrunching his face as he glanced back toward the booths, when another man in an all black suit, in his 40’s maybe, winked at him.

Prompto casually smiled back. “Then there's that guy over there.” He tapped Noctis’s shoulder to get him to lift his head.

Noctis turned slightly and saw him as the said man raised his glass at both of them, to which Noctis smirked. The raven tried to swallow his frustration as he went back to his task of preparing the two balding men’s tray.

“He won’t stop watching me,” Prompto pouted, leaning over the counter on his crossed arms.

“It’s because of the way you bite and suck on your bottom lip when you're counting your tips,” Noctis pointed out.

Prompto glanced up at Noctis, then at the guy, then back to Noctis. “I don’t do that!”, he argued quietly.

Noctis nodded, carrying the neatly organized heavy tray to his customers. “Yeah, you do. They think it makes you look cute.”

Prompto opened his mouth to say something, but brushed the conversation aside with his hand as his boss appeared from around the corner. Prompto gulped, pretending to be observing the counter.

“Argentum! The hell are you waiting around for?” It was truly amazing how the man, a chubby piece of meat in slacks, could manage to keep his voice so quiet. That was how Prompto saw him anyway.

“Uh, sir, I just… I was uh-”

“Get over there and take that gentleman’s order,” he barked, pointing at the suited man in the booths.

Prompto sighed as he trudged over in his tight, pink tank top, short black skirt that revealed his ass cheeks if he bent over, black see-through, mesh stockings and 2-inch heel boots that came up past his knees. “Yes, sir.”

Noctis tried to ignore his boss’s constant barking at Prompto as he watched himself step over toward the two bald men. Every time he adorned this ensemble, he felt embarrassed and like a total failure.

On every shift, Noctis was subject to wearing the tightest, pink, cropped hem t-shirt that, if he lifted his arms, his hips were exposed to everyone; wine red low-rider jeans that accentuated his ass, and bright white 3-inch high heel knee-high boots.

A job like this required such, working in a place called, ‘Humphrey’s Humpers’.

But it wasn’t like Prompto and Noctis had any other choice. They were just fresh out of high school when they went job-hunting two years ago. Their shared apartment was in a district where all the businesses didn’t allow anyone under the age of 21 to apply. They were only 18.

They had tried everywhere, seeing as they didn’t have a car to call their own to drive to work somewhere else. No one called them back. They were pretty much hopeless, until Prompto found a ‘wanted’ ad in the paper for Humphrey’s Humpers. Both of the boys knew what kind of a place it was, but they needed money desperately. To say the least, neither was ready for the kinds of tasks it required of them.

The ad called for boys 18 and older for the positions. So obviously, the two boys applied, but with much reluctance. Prompto had very clearly made the point that it was their only option, despite Noctis’s firm objections. “Go big or go broke,” Prompto had reminded him.

And that was how they ended up in a despicable place as this, having been employees for two years now. Trying to put some money aside for important things, like groceries and bills was hell. They weren’t making much, even between the two of them.

The policy was the same for every employee: serving beverages and snacks to every customer with a smile on your face. Act in a polite manner, while not avoiding presenting yourself in a sexual manner for want of sexual favors.

How the hell they ever kept this up was beyond Noctis. They had both told themselves and reminded each other, every day, that they had one more year to go before they could apply somewhere else.

One more year of putting up with being a smartass, an object of sex appeal and being banged by strangers almost every night. Yeah, this wasn’t so bad.

“Here’re your drinks, guys,” Noctis managed warmly, a smirk present on his face as he placed the beers, peanuts and napkins in front of the two men. “Enjoy yourselves.”

But before Noctis could escape, the already bald man grabbed Noctis’s arm, pulling him back towards him. “Hey, wait a sec, pretty boy. Never caught your name?”

Noctis shut his eyes and huffed under his breath before turning back to them. “It’s Noctis.”

“Pretty name,” the other balding man complemented.

“Yeah, real pretty, Tom. You available tonight, sweet thing? Me and my partner here haven’t had ourselves a good fucking since last week.”

His partner, Tom, nodded. “We’re both lookin’ for some fun, if you're not held up.”

Noctis looked back and forth at them before managing the best grin he could right now, fuming after the bald man’s crude remark. “Of course. I’d love to! The room should be empty about now, so why don’t you finish those up and I’ll be right with you?”

Tom whistled. “Eager to get started, huh? Well, Arney, I think this is the best club we’ve been to so far!”

“You're right about that, Tom,” he agreed, pulling Noctis’s arm hard, making him fall over the man’s lap. “A right, pretty thing you are, Nocty,” he cooed, slapping the raven’s ass, eliciting a yelp from him.

Noctis fought back the urge to shove a handful of napkins down Arney’s throat as he picked himself off of his lap. “Thanks, sweets,” he replied cutely through gritted teeth. “I’ll see you in a little bit, but don’t gulp those down too fast or you’ll choke!” He winked at them as he strode back over toward the counter.

As per usual, when accepting a request to have sex with a customer, one had to wait by the backroom. The backroom was no more than a bedroom, decorated for romantic and sensual pleasure in red and purple everything, while a king size waterbed sat in the middle of the room.

Noctis hated that room with all of his being, but here he was, waiting by the door like he told Tom and Arney he would. He had accepted and he had to do it or he would lose some of his paycheck. That, or risk being fired.

His stomach went sour as the two bald, chubby men strode toward him, with disgusting little smirks on their fat faces. Arney spoke up first. “So, you ready to do this, my lovely?”

“Have you ever been with two people at the same time before?”, Tom asked.

Noctis shook his head, all the while making sure to smile at them. “I’m ready, sweets, but I haven’t done it with two before,” he replied, unlocking the door and stepping inside.

As soon as Noctis flipped the lights on, Arney grabbed his arm roughly and threw him on the bed. “Well, you’re about to find out just what we like to do when it’s the two of us,” he grinned wickedly.

Tom cat-called. “Oh, you’re in for a treat, Nocty.”

Noctis moved slowly to pick himself off the bed, when Arney, who was at least a few inches taller and definitely fatter and heavier, climbed on the wobbly bed and pinned Noctis's wrists above his head. 

“But I’ll warn you now: you’ll be extremely sore in the morning,” Arney chuckled, tracing a finger along Noctis’s jaw.

Noctis gulped as he shifted to a more comfortable hold under the chubby, bald man. He managed a smirk. “It’s fine. I get that all the time.”

“Tom, you wanna come up behind or in the front?”

Noctis’s blue eyes widened at what Arney was suggesting.

Tom paused. “Hmm… I think I wanna taste him. You can be in the back.” His grin was one of the most vile things Noctis had seen. 

Taste him? By the Astrals, he meant a blow job. But if that was what Tom was going to do to him, then what was Arney going to do? Noctis couldn’t even think about it, even though he knew the answer.

“Good idea, Tom,” he said, giving his partner a thumbs up.

Noctis had experienced a blow job and anal sex before, but never at the same time. And that was exactly what these two animals were going to do to him. He shut his eyes as both of the men discarded their clothes, and then both worked on removing Noctis’s, placing little sloppy kisses on every exposed area of his body. 

Then Tom lifted him up for Arney to slip underneath him and position himself just so at his rear entrance. Noctis gasped as he felt the man’s fat, engorged tip at the edge of his hole.

“Excited, Nocty?”

Noctis nodded slowly, as he reached down to pat Arney’s sweaty thigh. “Some, sweets. But I want you to enjoy this more. This is only my job,” he answered in a husky tone. 

Gods, he hated this. He hated how he and Prompto had to present themselves in such a detestable way to these strangers, who wanted nothing more than a couple seconds of fun. If it was just one customer who wanted this, it wouldn't be so bad. But, nooooo. It had to be fatso and his tub ‘o lard, fatass partner.

Noctis arched up and gasped loudly as Tom swirled his tongue around Noctis’s tip. Arney hushed him, pressing a kiss to the back of his raven head. “Now, now, Nocty, don’t be too hasty. We’re only just beginning!” It was then that Arney thrust his thumping, hardened cock into Noctis’s small opening, earning a scream from the raven.

A tear rolled down Noctis’s cheek as he was tortured with pleasure from Arney thrusting into his ass, and Tom taking his whole length into his mouth, sucking and wrapping his tongue around it. 

These two were disgusting and Noctis was totally out of control as his body was wracked with ripples of pleasure and he felt himself get close to release already. “Uuuuuhhhhnnnn,” he groaned as his head lolled back onto Arney’s fat rolls on his chest. He bucked up into Tom’s mouth as the man chuckled, sending irresistible vibrations up his shaft, while Arney sped up his thrusts.

Noctis’s vision was blurred and his mouth fell open as he moaned and squirmed into Arney’s cascades of fat down his body, while Tom sucked harder and took his length in and out of his hot mouth.

Noctis howled for his orgasm as his pulsating cock shot out its white fluid, while Tom lapped it all up, humming a tune as he did so. Noctis was too hot. He was sweating profusely as his body was squashed between these two heaping rolls of fat. He couldn’t help but squirm and whine against Tom’s tongue as he licked up and gratefully swallowed all of Noctis’s seed.

All of his muscles began to relax from his high as he heaved in and out with shallow breaths, while Arney pulled out of his ass, stringing his own white fluid from Noctis’s rear.

“Oh, Nocty… that was wonderful,” Arney praised him, huffing hot, smelly breath on the raven’s neck.

Noctis was exhausted now and wanted to get out of this place as fast as possible.

“Yeah, Nocty, you taste so good, honey,” Tom told him, smiling as he wiped some excess semen off of his chin. “I’d love to do this again.”

Noctis smirked at Tom as Arney hauled himself out from under Noctis and off the bed. “Yeah… sure. We can. You know… where to find me, sweets,” he panted. 

He was disgusted with himself now too. The way they called him ‘Nocty’ and how Noctis was expected to respond with ‘sweets’ all the time made him cringe and want to puke.

Then, there was a knock at the door.

“Excuse me? Noct, you in there with somebody?”

Noctis flinched at Prompto’s high-pitched voice. “Yeah,” he called back, his voice a little shaky from his forced orgasm. “We’re coming out.”

“Ok, we’ll wait for you.” From the other side of the door, Prompto stood waiting with a man who was at least a head taller than the blonde. He was a skinny, bald thing, no older than 25, with a moustache.

“This take long?”, the guy asked impatiently.

Prompto thumbed at the door. “Not usually. He’s done, so they should be coming out any minute.”

The young guy slowly wrapped his arms around Prompto’s chest, hugging him close, as he breathed in the blonde’s musky cologne. “Mmm… they better not make me wait long.”

Prompto gently tugged on his arms, awkwardly laughing. “Uh, would you mind not touching me too much till we get inside, please?”

The guy ignored his request as he kissed at Prompto’s neck and bit at his ear. “It’s what you get paid for, right, twinkie?”

The door opened then and out walked fatso and his partner: Arney and Tom. Prompto peeked in with the guy still wrapped around his shoulders and saw Noctis slipping his other boot back on. “You all done, Noct? ‘Cuz we’re ready,” he reminded him, nodding at the skinny punk.

Noctis glanced up and frowned as he saw Prompto's current situation. But quickly fixed his frown into a half-smile as he got up from the bed, wincing in pain. “Yeah, you can go ahead. Have a nice time,” he waved at them.

As he stumbled by Prompto, the blonde mouthed, ‘you okay?’

Noctis nodded, mouthing back, ‘be careful’ before he walked out of the room with five 20 dollar bills in his hand.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is one of the best stories I've come up with. I have so many ideas for this one and I can't wait to write more!
> 
> So here's update #2
> 
> Hope you like!

100 bucks. Noctis considered himself to be worth way more than that, especially since two customers had the pleasure of ‘sharing’ him at once. But he didn’t care how much he was tipped, he hoped to the gods above that those lards, Arney and Tom, would never show their fatso selves around here again.

The raven hobbled over to a bar stool and carefully lowered his sore, aching bottom onto it. “Shit… hurts like hell,” he hissed. He motioned over to the bartender for a shot.

“Whatcha drinkin’, babe?”, a red-headed, middle-aged man behind the counter cooed playfully, wiping out a glass.

Noctis scoffed. “Thought I told you not to sweet talk me like that, Damian. I hate when people call me ‘babe’.”

Damian laughed. “Yeah, I know it. Just a little joke,” he relented, turning back to the shelves lined with liquor. “So what are ya drinkin’, Noct?”

“Shot of whiskey,” he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Whiskey?!” He whipped back around toward the raven. “That’s pretty strong, especially for you!”

“Would it help if I said ‘please’?”

“Maybe,” he shrugged, pouring the whiskey anyway. “ID, please?”

Noctis smirked slightly. “Can it,” he chuckled, glancing back at the front doors as he watched two more men walk in, hand in hand.

Damian started cleaning the countertop. “So, you doin’ alright? Whiskey ain’t your usual choice,” he pried.

“Just felt like it,” Noctis shrugged, downing the whiskey in one swift gulp. It burned in his throat, making him wince.

“Tough customers?”

Noctis coughed harshly, before tilting his head in an isn’t-it-obvious kind of manner, leaning his head in his palm.

Damian mouthed a sympathetic ‘ah’ as he continued wiping down the counter. “Sorry you have to put up with that stuff. Those two made quite a wave when they walked in here, didn’t they?”

Noctis huffed. “That’s putting it mildly. Can’t wait to get out of here.”

Damian made the sweetest, most pitiful face he could manage at Noctis. “But then I’ll be here all alone! You wouldn’t want to leave me, would you, sweetie pie?”

He always seemed to be able to get a playful rouse out of the raven as Noctis snickered. “No, of course not,” he purred, batting his dark lashes at the bartender. “I’d come visit you anytime, smooches. And I’m always just a phone call away,” he smirked, lifting his hand out.

Damian took it and pressed a kiss in between his knuckles. “Guess I should count myself lucky to be flirted with by such a pretty thing like yourself.”

Noctis hummed. “Count yourself lucky you don’t have to go any further with that shit,” he retorted with a sigh.

“That bad, huh?”

“You don’t know the half of it,” he sighed again.

Damian tapped Noctis’s hand in a rush, nodding at his boss coming up behind the raven. Noctis didn’t bother to turn around.

“Caelum.”

Ugh, that voice. That irritating tone that he hated to hear come from those fake white teeth, that greasy, matted toupee, and those scornful, bulging eyeballs. His boss gripped Noctis’s shoulder as he leaned close to his ear.

“One shot is all you get. The rest dulls the senses, and I’m not paying you to get drunk!”, he whispered harshly, making Noctis flinch as he gripped his shoulder harder.

Noctis turned slightly in his chair, just enough to where he could speak in his direction without having to look at him. “I know. You’re paying me to get fucked,” he mocked slyly.

“THAT kind of attitude will come out of your paycheck again, Caelum,” he barked, pointing a finger in his face. “Yours and Argentum’s. Now, how much was the tip?”

Noctis reluctantly pulled the cash out of his tight jean pocket.

The boss’s oversized eyeballs lit up at the sight of five 20 dollar bills in the raven’s hand. “They had fun tonight, did they? That’s good,” he remarked, snatching 80 bucks out of Noctis’s grip.

“Hey! I-”

“You won’t protest or I’ll take it all. Am I understood, Caelum?” His bulging stare was a most disgusting sight.

Noctis groaned as he shrugged off his boss’s hand and slid off the stool, hobbling over towards the restrooms. “Just take my attitude out of my paycheck, alright?”, he called back. “Prompto pays his dues, Humphrey. He’s in there right now.”

Humphrey huffed a laugh, crossing his arms. “Little bastard will learn to control his temper if he wants to keep a job.”

“He had a rough time tonight, Gene. Leave ‘im be,” Damian said softly, wiping out another glass. “Two customers at once. They were about your size too,” he chuckled.

Humphrey shot him a look, his eyeballs bulging. “You keep your mouth shut if you want to remain here as well. It’s good that he had a rough time. It’ll help put him in his place, talking back to me like that.” He stormed off back into his office and slammed the door.

Noctis leaned over the dirty restroom sink, with his shoulders hunched up toward his ears as he pushed his fingers down his throat, gagging himself. He heaved some, but nothing came out yet.

His blue eyes met his reflection in the grimy mirror and he kinda just stared into himself, removing his fingers from his throat. “Are you gonna do it this time? Are you really gonna hurt yourself again?”, he whispered to his reflection.

Dark circles lined under his sullen sapphire eyes, his hair was greasy, unstyled and unkempt, his face had thinned out a bit from his usual roundness and he was just a horrible sight. 

Gods, was he exhausted. Two years of putting up with this line of work had taken its toll on Noctis, as he noticed just how bad he really did look on the outside. But it paled in comparison to his internal struggle and frustration. He wondered how long he could keep doing this to himself.

He brushed his hair back with his hands and styled it as best he could. Splashing some cold water on his face helped minimally, when in actuality it made him feel worse. But he had to get back to work. He was still on the clock.

“You look like hell,” he muttered to his reflection. “But then again, you work in the same place.” He lightly laughed to himself before stepping back into the club.

 

$$$$$$$

“Wanna hit the showers, buddy?”, Prompto asked, sipping the last of his club soda.

Noctis nodded, setting down his third shot of whiskey.

It was quarter to midnight when their shifts ended and there was no need to describe how tired, achy and dirty the two boys felt after a 9-hour shift. It was written all over their faces, and very apparent in their gait.

They were two of the only ones left in the club, save for Damian, who was always expected to lock up at night.

Noctis’s ass pain still hadn’t subsided after 5 hours since his ordeal. “Can we walk slow? My ass still hurts,” he hissed, sliding off his stool after Prompto.

The blonde made a sad face as he watched Noctis hobble after him to the back.

Noctis tried to smile at his friend. “It’s okay, Prompto. Don't worry about me.”

“It’s just been a while since I’ve seen you limp like that after work,” the blonde pointed out.

Noctis shrugged, unlocking the door to the employee back room. “Meh, it’s whatever. They paid me pretty good,” he said, pulling only a 20 dollar bill out of his pocket. “Well, what’s left of my tip.”

“Humphrey took it from you, didn’t he?”

“Do you have to ask? I’d rather not hear that bastard’s name right now when it’s finally quiet.”

“I get it,” Prompto relented, leading the way toward the single open shower in a whitewash tile room. He turned to glance back at the raven. “You know, I don’t remember you ever having whiskey like that before. Don’t you usually order a club soda like me?”

Noctis hummed, pulling his shirt and jeans off. “You wanna go first?”

Prompto turned the shower knob to hot, but the water came out lukewarm at best. He didn’t take his eyes off of Noctis. “How come you’re drinking whiskey, Noct? I thought we weren’t doing that.” Concern laced the blonde’s voice as he slid his boots off.

“I dunno. I just wanted something stronger this time,” he lied, motioning to the water. “Water’s gonna get cold. You going?”

“Uh- no, you go first. I’ll get the towels,” Prompto replied, grabbing two towels off the adjacent shelf. He bit his lip to stop himself from saying anymore, watching as Noctis stepped naked into the stream of water.

Prompto had a hunch as to why Noctis would be turning to such a heavy liquor, but he didn’t have the heart to bring it up right now. Noctis had been acting depressed and hopeless for the last six months, and the blonde was downright unsettled because of it.

He knew about those times when his friend would go into the bathroom to make himself throw up. He walked in on him once and it scared him. Noctis promised then that he would stop it, and Prompto hoped he was telling the truth.

Prompto understood that, deep down, it was this stupid job, if you could call it a job; it was more like slavery. Noctis hated every day they showed up for work, and hated every night they left for home. Prompto would never blame him. He hated it too.

He sat there in his boxers, with his chin in his hands on the hard, dirty, tile floor as he watched Noctis finish his shower. He couldn’t help it. He had to ask his burning question. “Noct?”

“Uh-huh?”, he responded dryly, water running down his face.

“You doing okay? I mean, you can always talk to me if you’re not. I’ll listen.”

The water was on the edge of turning cold when Noctis stepped out, grabbing a towel from the plastic chair beside him. “I’ll feel better once we get the hell out of here,” he grumbled.

Prompto paused before entering the shower. “You sure nothing’s bothering you?”, he asked worriedly.

Noctis smirked at him from under the towel, rubbing over his wet hair. “Yeah, I’m okay, Prompto. I just wanna go home.”

“Okay,” the blonde replied simply.

 

$$$$$

It was almost one in the morning when they entered their apartment. The night wore on very dark and a little chilly this evening, and the temperature in their apartment wasn’t any better as they both stepped in, shivering.

Prompto clicked a lamp on and checked the thermostat. “Ugh, it’s only 63° in here?! I’m freezing!”

“Dammit. I’m leaving her an angry message tonight. She said she’d have the fucking thing changed two weeks ago,” Noctis muttered, pulling his phone out of his jacket pocket with shaky hands.

Prompto dropped the keys on the end table near the door. “If she ever glances in the direction of her phone. Dude, she’s like, always on vacation. No one needs that much fun,” he said, walking into the kitchen.

Noctis threw his phone over on the sofa in frustration, when it bounced off and hit the wooden floor. “Shit!”

Prompto poked his head out of the kitchen, popping open a can of soda. “What happened?”

“What's the point of having a landlord when you can’t even leave a damn message on her damn phone for something important?!”, he fumed, rubbing his temple.

“Is her inbox full up again?”, the blonde asked, handing Noctis a grape soda.

“What do you think?”

Prompto shrugged, placing his soda on the counter. He reached up into one of the higher cabinets and pulled out a can of cat food. “Oh well. Guess we’ll just have to bundle up extra warm tonight.” He popped open the can and in raced a thin, black and white spotted kitty. “There she is!”

The cat jumped up onto the counter and gazed expectantly up into Prompto’s eyes, mewling softly.

“Aw, hi, baby! You hungry? I bet you are,” Prompto cooed, scratching her fluffy chin and setting the can down on the floor. “There you go, sweetie.”

Before she ate, she jumped down and rubbed against Noctis’s legs. He smiled and reached down to her stroke her soft fur. “Hi, Tonya. I missed you too, girl,” he spoke softly, leaning down to pick her up when she darted over toward her food. “Okay, guess you love food more than me right now.”

“She’s so sweet,” Prompto remarked, plugging in the little nightlight they leave on for her at bedtime. It glowed warmly in little rainbow colors, with pictures of tiny fish floating by on the wall.

Noctis yawned, leaving the kitchen. “I’m gonna head for bed. What about you?”

Prompto turned toward him, tilting his head. “You’re not hungry? I was gonna make something.”

“Naw,” the raven replied, shaking his head. “Too tired. Night,” he waved at him.

“Okay, goodnight.”

Noctis trudged down the dark hallway to their shared bedroom and clicked a lamp on, yanking the covers back and discarding his pants as he crawled onto the queen size bed.

He pulled the covers back over his body and snuggled in on himself, trying to get warm. He still had his jacket on and wasn’t about to take it off. It was too damn cold in the room.

Shutting his eyes, he almost shivered himself to sleep, when Prompto shuffled into the room with Tonya right at his heels. She hopped onto Noctis’s legs, making him groan.

“Sorry, buddy. Did we wake you up?”, Prompto inquired guiltily.

“No,” Noctis replied, sitting up and scooping Tonya into his arms. “I thought you were gonna eat?”

Prompto stretched and pulled his skinny jeans off, tugging his oversized sweatshirt down over his knees. “Nah. I thought I was, but I’m tired too,” he mumbled, scratching his butt. “And besides, Tonya wants to sleep with us again tonight. She just wouldn’t stop meowing!”

He crawled into the bed beside Noctis and pressed a kiss to the cat’s head, while Noctis stroked her back. “Lucky girl,” Noctis teased, settling down into the middle of the bed close to Prompto.

“She sure is,” the blonde yawned, throwing an arm over Noctis’s chest as he cuddled up close to his friend. Tonya maneuvered out of their entangled limbs and curled up between the two boys. “See you in the morning, Noct.” Prompto kissed the raven's cheek lightly, closing his eyes as he sighed restfully.

“Yeah,” he mumbled back. “Don’t forget we’ve gotta head to the store before our shift tomorrow.”

Prompto hummed, already on the brink of sleep.

Noctis glanced down at the blonde. “Prompto?”

He was fast asleep. Noctis smiled, gently patting his arm over his chest before placing it at his side as he attempted to fall asleep.

 

$$$$$

He glanced at the alarm clock through half-lidded eyes: 02:37. He hadn’t even been asleep for two hours yet! He groaned quietly, rubbing his face as he slowly got out of the bed, careful not to wake the snoring blonde.

He padded over toward the bathroom and clicked the overhead light on, shutting the door to just a crack so the light wouldn’t shine in Prompto’s face.

Opening the medicine cabinet, he took out a bottle of pills and twisted open the cap, dumping 4 light blue colored pellets into his palm. He dropped them into his mouth and gratefully swallowed them, shutting his eyes.

He took a few minutes to gaze at himself in the mirror with a scowl. He mentally cursed himself, demanding an answer from inside as he asked quietly, “what’s wrong with you?”

But he had no answer. He was at the absolute lowest he had ever been in his life and he didn’t understand why he was. There was no escape from this, and he hated everything about himself.

He often wondered if maybe it was only his job that made him feel this way. It could be a major factor, but it couldn’t be the only one. He hadn’t been able to sleep peacefully in a long time and had to take sleeping pills just to make it through the night.

He never considered how it would affect him, but he understood now that it made life a lot easier to deal with. Sharing an apartment with his closest friend however, was the hardest part. He had to keep secrets from Prompto that he didn’t want to keep, but he felt he had no choice.

If this was helping him ease back into life, who was he to refuse himself a way out?

After a swig of water, he put the bottle back and turned the light off in the bathroom as he made his way back over and into the bed.

Unknown to Noctis, who was now just settling into sleep, Prompto’s blue eyes were open and so were his listening ears, as he bit his lip to hold back from crying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a life, huh? I had to give them a pet cat. I thought it would be so darn cute!
> 
> Let me know what you think :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An update for chapter 3 and a little warning: this is an intense chapter. Not in action so much as in hindsight. I'm pretty, uh, descriptive when it comes to this stuff. 
> 
> But enough about me describing it. I'll let you read now.
> 
> Here you go

Noctis dropped the grocery bags on the floor with a loud thud, as he rushed down the hall toward their bedroom. He didn’t even bother to hold the door open for Prompto, who was carrying more bags than he had.

“Noct? Where’d you go? I thought you were holding the door open,” the blonde yelled, shifting the bags in both hands, huffing as he brought in two of the heaviest bags filled with canned goods. “Man, why’d we have to buy so many soups…”

Noctis’s heart was pounding as he scrambled in the medicine cabinet for the sleeping pills. He desperately flipped open the cap, and dropped six of the little blue tabs into his palm.

He swallowed them gratefully all at once, gagging a little as they went down dryly. Glancing up into the mirror, he took note of how pale his sapphire eyes were. Prompto had mentioned how tired he looked, but the raven brushed it off as an effect of the whiskey he drank the night before.

His heart was still beating hard against his clavicle and couldn’t understand why. He hastily put everything back the way it was in the bathroom, careful not to rouse suspicion. Holding a hand to his chest, he padded slowly over to the bed and fell over backwards.

He just couldn’t seem to catch his breath as he lay there panting and staring up, tracing all the little swirly patterns of the plaster-moulded ceiling. “Gods… stop. The hell can’t I breathe?”, he mumbled, attempting a deep breath, only for it to come out in a shallow huff. His rapid heartbeat resounded in his eardrums, causing him to groan and hold his head. “Please, just stop already! Dammit.”

“Noct?”

Noctis gasped, quickly sitting upright so as not to frighten Prompto, who stepped into the room just then. “Yeah?”

Prompto quirked a brow as he saw his friend tightly clutching his chest. “Noct, you okay? What’s wrong?”

“Uh,” he placed both hands in his lap, faking a smile as the pounding in his chest started becoming unbearable. “I’m okay... just wanted to lay down. Why?”

The blonde bolted for Noctis’s side, plopping beside him and taking his hand in his. His bright blue eyes were fraught with concern. “Noct, this has happened before. It’s your heart, isn’t it?”

Noctis stared into his best friend’s worried gaze, hoping he wouldn’t have to say anything and give himself away.

“Well? Is it? Tell me!” Prompto’s voice rose as he became increasingly afraid, shaking the raven’s hand for an answer. “Please, Noct! Answer me, buddy!”

“It’s nothing, Prompto, really! I-”

“No, it’s not. C’mon, Noct. Let's go turn the shower on, okay? You’ll feel better, I promise,” the blonde said, pulling Noctis along to the bathroom. “Remember what the doctor said last time?”

Noctis nodded, stumbling a little as Prompto yanked on him. “I remember, but, Prompto…”

“No buts!” Prompto scolded, flipping the shower knob all the way to hot, then frantically began helping the raven take his sweatshirt off. “You need this, Noct. Your heart needs it!”

“Prompto, cut it out- I’m fine!” He attempted to swat the blonde’s tugging hands away from his body, but let him lift the sweatshirt off of him anyway, revealing his bare chest as his breaths became even shallower. “Prompto-,” he gasped as his sweatshirt came off his head.

“It’s okay, it's okay, Noct,” his friend tried to calm him, but he was freaking out himself, afraid of doing something wrong. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have dragged you in here- dammit. I- you, are you breathing okay? How do you feel, Noct?!”

At this point, Prompto was in tears, tripping over his words as the soft, radiating steam filled the small bathroom. It felt like Noctis could breathe just a bit better, but his heart pounded harder than before.

He grasped at his chest with both hands now, beginning to sob as he felt a sudden tightening in his chest. “Gods-, Prompto-, help-” he panted, as Prompto then held a hot washcloth to his mouth and helped him sit down on the side of the tub.

“It’s okay, buddy… just breathe, okay? Just breathe, and try to calm down,” the blonde guided him, rubbing soothing circles over Noctis’s back.

The steam and lingering heat were welcome blessings to Noctis’s lungs as the pressure in his chest slowly lessened and his heart returned to soft thumping finally; it was most likely the pills starting to take effect. He took some deep breaths as Prompto held him tenderly, making sure he remained still.

After a few more minutes of deep breathing, Noctis tugged on Prompto’s arm, humming at him to remove the washcloth.

The blonde eyed him carefully, watching for any unsteadiness in his friend. “You sure? Did it stop?”

“Mm-hm,” the raven said simply, patting at his now gentle heartbeat. “It stopped.”

Prompto sighed in relief, dropping his arms. “Noct, it’s never been this bad before.”

Noctis said nothing as he stood up slowly, taking his pants and boxers off and grabbing a towel from the neatly folded stack beside the sink.

“Noct?”

Again, no answer, and Prompto didn’t want to push it. He knew Noctis was going to those damned pills for relief from their troubled life, but he hated how he couldn’t really bring it up to discuss it with him, out of respect for wanting Noctis to have the best, always. 

Even if it was slowly killing him.

And this had indeed happened before: a year after they started this job. New Year’s Eve to be exact, when they came home, sexually exhausted. Their boss had rented them out for a double bachelor party, with Noctis hired as the stripper. Prompto was to perform too, but Noctis was the one they wanted to see more due to his reputation for being as one customer put it, “a mysterious, succulent, sexy little raspberry.”

It was one hell of a night for the boys as they were jumped on repeatedly, fondled roughly and fucked senselessly. Prompto was sure he’d never forget the nightmares he suffered after that, but it was more painful watching Noctis, as he progressively frequented the bathroom at work and at home, willing to harm himself out of desperation for some escape from this hellish agony.

The doctor they saw for his problem scolded them both and told them to take it easy as Noctis’s heart was steadily weakening from their, what the doctor considered, “wild lifestyle.” That may have contributed some, but it was more an emotional problem for the young raven as he struggled with all the hardships that came with growing up.

If growing up meant taking a job that sexually, physically and mentally exploited and exhausted every fiber of his being.

He often retreated from large chunks of life, closing in on himself and regretting the fact that he ever came into this world. There were times when he would be totally unresponsive all day until bed, when he would stroke himself into a frenzied orgasm, and then beg Prompto to cut his throat.

The blonde couldn’t take it. It was pure agony being forced to watch his best friend, the sweetest, most gentle person in the world, plead for the mercy of death. Prompto often cried himself to sleep, praying that Noctis would someday have peace from his cruel tie to this part of their lives.

The younger boy rarely left his side out of fear that Noctis might try to kill himself if presented with the opportunity of being alone. He wished Noctis would say something. Talk to him, open up and pour his heart out, just so he wouldn’t have to go on pretending any longer.

But Noctis was stubborn. He was loyal to a fault, masking his own pain to please the wants and needs of others. Prompto was not too different from him in that regard, but he wasn’t afraid to say when it bothered him or when he’d had enough.

It always sufficed for Prompto to nod and agree to whatever Noctis did or said. The blonde was never one to question his friend, even when it came to taking those pills. But now, seeing how vulnerable Noctis was not even five minutes ago had him rethinking his approach.

He had to say something. He had to confront him. But what would he say? If he started, would he be able to finish? If he picked him up, would Noctis be able to stand on his own two feet again?

“You gonna shower?”, the blonde asked quietly, stepping out of his way.

“Yeah..” He was sweaty all over again.

“Mind if I come in too?”

The raven glanced exhaustedly at his friend and saw the drying tear stains on his freckled cheeks. That made him feel worse than he already did when it came to keeping secrets from the most special person in his life.

He hoped Prompto never knew.

“Sure, c’mon,” Noctis smiled.

Prompto grinned at his friend’s sudden cheerfulness. “Helps save some water too if we shower together,” he joked, finding he didn’t really like the sound of his own laughter right now.

As Noctis stepped into the scalding shower, Prompto began shrugging his clothes off, thankful that the room was warm enough that he didn’t have to feel a chill being naked. Noctis made some room scooting to the front of the shower, while the blonde stepped into the back.

The raven sighed heavily, taking a few moments to savor the cascade of running hot water comforting his sore body. “Uuuhhhh…” Relief came in a matter of minutes before he grabbed the bar of soap and started washing.

“Sorry I forgot the coupons,” Prompto said out of the blue, watching and waiting until Noctis was done soaping himself up.

“Don’t worry about it,” he mumbled, handing the soap to the blonde.

“I just wish the clerk felt the same way you do. Talk about bitchface.”

Noctis half listened to what his friend chattered on about as he took the shower head down and held it over his body, washing the soap off directly.

“... I mean, we only had twelve bucks left, the rest of our stuff was $12.05! She coulda let us get away with it… I’m sure they let their favorite customers get stuff for free sometimes… it was five cents!” Prompto went on and on, complaining about their pathetic experience in the grocery store as he continued soaping himself.

Noctis was almost finished washing the soap off, when the gentle flow of warm water flew over his cock. He whined as it hit just the right spot, giving him half an erection.

Prompto heard him and accidently dropped the soap. “Noct?”

The raven held the shower head over his half-hard length, moaning as he threw his head back. “I need this... ,” he murmured, turning to Prompto, whose blue eyes understood the depths of his desire.

The blonde silently nodded, coming up behind Noctis and wrapping his arms around his middle. “Okay, Noct. Let me help you,” he whispered softly into his ear. His caring, gentle lips slid over Noctis’s nape, kissing him tenderly multiple times. 

It was just another escape for him. Prompto understood that every time.

Noctis groaned and leaned back into Prompto’s arms, spreading his legs and steadying the stream of water to his shaft, panting and mewling as his friend’s heartfelt kneading on his hips and his loving kisses left his cock quivering.

Prompto then carefully took the shower head from the raven and slipped it back in the hold, returning to caress Noctis’s neck and hips.

Noctis desperately grasped his hardened cock and stroked himself fast, his tip already leaking some milky fluid. His breathing quickened as his stomach tightened, his whole body aching for his orgasm. “Unnggghhhhh…” His moan echoed off the tile walls as he stroked over and over in a downward motion toward his tip, the warm water running down both of the boys as they reveled in their embrace.

“Let it out, Noct… just let it out,” Prompto purred, pressing his lips into his friend’s soft, wet raven hair.

Noctis groaned loud and long as he soon felt that familiar pressure in his core, speeding up his strokes till the pleasurable waves became unbearable. “Ungh! Prompto…” He shut his eyes, panting harder as he swayed his hips back and forth, trembling weakly.

Prompto smiled, licking and kissing at the side of the raven’s neck, whispering warmly. “Keep going, Noct… it’s alright, buddy, you're good… ride it out…”

It was more of Prompto’s sweet nothings purred into his ear than his own stroking that made Noctis come, being so grateful to have such a kind, caring and loving person as his best friend; the blonde’s soothing words bringing Noctis solace. His straight, hardened cock shot out that same stream of milky juice as he gasped and moaned at the same time, flinging himself to the tile wall, grasping for anything to hold on to.

Prompto hugged himself into Noctis’s back, clinging to him as his friend shook from his orgasm. Tiny sobs left Noctis’s lips as Prompto held him closer. “Good, Noct. It’s okay, buddy.”

Tears fell from the raven’s clenched sapphire orbs. He cried, feeling so worthless and like he was ready to give up on life. “I can’t do this anymore, Prompto… it hurts every damn day… I hate it!” He heaved heavy breaths as he brought Prompto’s arms up to his chest and held them to his heart.

Prompto’s own tears mingled with the flow of the warm stream of water as he cuddled in closer to Noctis’s soft locks, gratefully breathing in his scent. “I know…,” the only words the blonde could manage before breaking down himself. “I’m sorry, Noct…”

$$$$$

“Prompto, we’re gonna be late if we don’t leave now,” Noctis called from the front door, slipping on his 2XL sweatshirt as he dreaded even mentioning their destination.

“Shit!”

Noctis heard the blonde curse from the kitchen. “Prompto? What is it?”

His freckled face appeared from beside the kitchen entrance with a look of discontent. “We forgot to buy cat food, Noct,” he said, showing him the now-empty last can as Tonya brushed up against his legs, licking her fuzzy lips. “I mean, at least we had this last one, but we’ve gotta get more.”

Noctis smiled down at Tonya and petted her head, scratching under her spotted chin. “Damn,” he muttered. “We’ll have to get it after, ugh… work. Sorry, girl, we’ll get you some more soon.”

The tabby kitty gazed into Noctis’s blue orbs as if she understood exactly what he was saying before meowing for him to pick her up, stretching her lithe paws up his legs.

“I can’t, Tonya. We’ve gotta go,” he patted her back down as he left for the front door. “Prompto, c’mon, we’ll be late.”

“Be right there!” He kissed their kitty on the head as she purred in his arms, setting her back down and grabbing up his wallet. “Soon, baby. We’ll be back with yummy, yummy stuff tonight, okay? I promise,” he cooed, making little kissy sounds at her as he met Noctis by the door.

Noctis smirked, shaking his head at Prompto’s sweet, little gestures toward their cat.

“What? I love her! She’s gotta know that everyday, you know.”

“Not that. I love her too, it’s just…,” he paused, resting his hand on the copper doorknob.

Prompto cocked his head. “What, Noct?”

“Wish we didn’t have to go.” His sullen words hung in the air, sticking with Prompto as they left their somewhat warm apartment and stepped into the cold hall of the building.

“Me too,” Prompto mumbled, glancing up slightly from under his golden bangs and catching Noctis’s blues.

Noctis really didn’t sense any difference when it came to the cold, but it was just as chilly in the streets that afternoon as the night before as the boys walked to work, shivering and hugging themselves to preserve warmth.

Looking up into the gray, unwaning sky, Prompto noticed little specks of white drifting in the cool breeze and guessed it must have been snow. It was November, so snow wasn’t out of the question. “Would you look at that. Snow!” He pointed at one shimmering flake and followed its flight all the way until it vanished instantly upon hitting the warmer concrete sidewalk.

Noctis glanced into the growing grayness as more and fatter flakes began their descent from heaven. “Huh. Just hope it doesn’t get any worse,” he dejected, not really caring if it was the first snow of the season. “It’d be a pain in the ass walking home in anything slippery and wet.”

Prompto’s eyes wandered over to Noctis’s shivering form. The blonde frowned sadly, knowing Noctis wasn’t in a good mood today, having to go back to work. But then, he couldn’t recall a time when Noctis had been genuinely happy since the start of those two years ago.

Last night, about an hour before the blonde was awakened by the blaring beeping from his alarm clock, he had heard Noctis in the bathroom, gagging. He knew what it meant and hated that even though Noctis promised to quit this habit, he was still harming himself behind closed doors.

Prompto couldn’t take the sound of it and reluctantly had to wear his earplugs. The same ones he had used when Noctis first started this little compulsion. He fought back his desire to pound on the door till it flew open and shake Noctis out of his dependency. His tendency for bulimia and those damn sleeping pills were being marked as a headstone for the raven; unless Prompto did something to stop him.

But in any event that Prompto did attempt to intervene, Noctis chided him for it and told him it was none of his business; especially when it came to those pills that he claimed he was only taking for help to sleep.

But it wasn’t like it was all a secret. Anyone who simply glanced in Noctis’s direction could see the signs of a struggling human being: his matted, unkempt hair, his sunken, pale blue eyes, his receding jawline; and the slur that laced his voice numerous times as he spoke lost all hope of remaining hidden.

If this went on any longer, the blonde seemed certain Noctis’s life was hanging by a thread, however thick that thread remained as long as Prompto held onto him.

And he desperately made sure he held on as tight as he dared to.

The blonde wished for just an inkling of happiness to splay itself across Noctis’s face as they walked against the chilly November wind.

“Wanna do anything for Thanksgiving? It’s coming up pretty soon,” Prompto asked, a cheerful nag he tried to present himself.

Noctis shrugged, brushing a few snowflakes off his shoulder. “I dunno. We don’t know anybody, so like what?” Disinterested as ever, the raven kept his head down.

“Well,” Prompto started, “we could pool some of what’s left our money together and buy a turkey or a ham! Or something like that. We could have cheesy macaroni with it! And maybe some spicy seasoned carrots… mmm…”

“Ew, carrots? Gross. But I like the cheese part.” At least he made an effort to participate in the conversation like he was enjoying it as he walked along, closer to Prompto’s side.

The blonde noticed his closeness and smiled. “Yeah! We could totally do that!”

But all too soon, the atmosphere switched dramatically from a brief moment of happy chatting, to a begrudging shuffle toward the front doors of Humphrey’s Humpers at 2 o’clock on the dot.

The snow fluttered softer down to earth until it halted its transcendence and slumbered above the wispy clouds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, poor babies...
> 
> Again, tell me what you think! I'm trying to switch their roles in this story. You know how usually Prompto is the sufferer? And Noct is the strong one? Well, I thought I'd switch it up by showing Noctis's perspective if this could happen to him.
> 
> Personally, I like to see more of Prompto's strong points and more of a vulnerable Noctis. Makes it interesting, I think.
> 
> Thank you for reading! Much love to you and yours<3
> 
> More to come :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter. Hope you like it.
> 
> Sorry if it seems a little rushed. I wrote this a little differently than I originally planned.
> 
> Here you go :)

“Hate when they bite my neck,” Prompto grumbled, slamming the back door closed as he walked back out into the bar area. He came over to the counter and snatched a napkin to wipe at his bleeding hickie.

The click of the blonde’s boots caught the attention of that same man in the business suit from yesterday, who cat-called him from across the way. “Hey, twinkles, come over here.”

Prompto begrudgingly gave him his best smile and strutted over to the man, making sure he swayed his hips as much as possible. “What can I do for ya, hun?”

“You finally free tonight? No bookings?” He patted his lap, beckoning Prompto over to it.

Prompto sat himself on the man’s legs and wrapped his arms around his neck, making sheep’s eyes. “Yep! I can be all yours tonight if you want. Got nothing special planned!”

He had no choice with this man now seeing how it wasn’t very busy tonight, and the blonde hadn’t gotten any requests. He gasped as the man pecked his lips rather hard. He tried to laugh it off, cursing the very thought of having this guy’s rough, chapped lips on his own while his hands rudely roamed all over his body.

“You’ve got quite the mouth there, hun,” he giggled, shifting his ass over the man’s growing bulge under his slacks. “Whenever you’re ready, we can head back there,” he purred into the man’s ear. Gods, this was the worst ever.

The man chuckled, reaching down to give Prompto’s soft length a few light squeezes, making him yelp. “You’re not at all hard for me?”

“I can be any time you’re ready.” Prompto was actually rather good at hiding his arousal from customers. Most of them turned him off instantly, what with their lewd remarks and inappropriate gestures. Two years meant a lot of practice for the blonde, who patted himself on the back for mastering his sexual preferences.

“Well,” the man said, scooting out of the booth with Prompto still on his lap. “I think I just might be in the mood right now, sunshine,” he quickly lifted Prompto into his arms, carrying him bridal style towards the back room.

Prompto gasped and waggled his finger at him. “Ah ah, easy now, please. I like to take things slow.” His tone seemed convincing enough for the impatient businessman.

He smirked wickedly at the blonde. “I like to take thing fast and hard, my little lovebug.”

“O-oh, well that's just fine! Whatever you want to do, hun.” Some bile came up into his throat at the way his new pet name tumbled off the guy’s tongue. Prompto sighed and held onto the man’s neck as they walked inside and shut the door locked.

Noctis heard the whole exchange between his best friend and that slug, shivering at the thought of him doing anything to Prompto. Wearing a blank stare, he wiped a table down as he tried to process what had happened this morning before they left for work.

His heart… why had it been pounding so hard out of his chest like that? This occurred once or twice before, but this time he felt like it was impossible to breathe. Other times he only felt a little short of breath, and then it would stop on its own before his heart calmed down again.

The pills maybe? Or was it because he had gone back to forcing himself to throw up again? He had no idea, but he couldn’t think too much right now. His vicious headache made his head throb, letting out a groan as he went about his task of wiping tables.

“Caelum!”

He swore, every time that nagging voice reared its ugly head, it caused the ache in his head to worsen. “Yes, sir?”

“Help those gentlemen over there. They’ve been waiting a long time! Too long,” the boss commanded, his blubby form disappearing back into his office. But his tie got caught in the door.

“Yes, sir,” Noctis chuckled under his breath, glad that at least he got a laugh today, despite everything else.

“I still don’t understand why you insist on bringing me here.” A man in his early twenties pinched the bridge of his nose, lifting his glasses above his face for a moment. His dirty blonde hair stuck straight up in the front as he smoothed it up further. “This isn’t really my idea of a place for a drink. I also have a lot of work tomorrow!” He continued complaining to someone across from him. “Staying out past dark is never a good thing to do when work is imminent the next morning.”

“You work a little too much, Iggy,” his friend with a considerably deep voice teased. And boy was it deep, almost in a sensuous way.

It resonated in the area around them as Noctis approached their table. He strutted up to the table and leaned over it with a hand on his hip, his lips turning up in as sexy a pout he could make. “What can I get for you handsome gentlemen?”

The man with glasses only stared at him with a raised brow, while his friend, who looked incredibly rugged and totally sexy with his collared shirt buttoned halfway down, smiled at the raven. “What do you suggest?”

Noctis blushed, heat rising in his face. “W-what do I ‘suggest’? Uh, not sure I’ve been a-asked that before,” he stammered, unaware that he was gazing longingly at the rugged man’s face.

Gods, the man was attractive. His slicked-back auburn locks that trailed down his nape, those warm, amber eyes that seemed to bore into the raven’s soul, and the way his thin, pink lips seemed to smile even when he wasn’t… Noctis had never seen him before, but for the first time in his life, he believed there was such a thing as love at first sight.

The man waved his hand in Noctis’s face. “Hey, you alright?”

Noctis snapped his head back up, feeling sweat forming on his back. “Y-yeah, I’m f-fine. Uh… beer? Peanuts? Um…”

The handsome man’s friend shook his head and huffed with a smirk. “No beer for me, thank you. I’ll take a virgin apple martini, olives on the side please.”

The rugged man rested his arm over the back of the booth, watching Noctis’s movements carefully. “I’ll take a beer, sweetie. And if it’s not too much trouble,” he tilted his head, pleading ambers smiling at the raven. “Come sit with us when you come back?”

Noctis blushed even harder. “No, ‘course not! I mean, no, it’s no trouble. I’ll… be right back.” He turned on his heel and strode back to the counter slowly.

The man with glasses crossed his arms, giving his friend a look of disapproval. “Gladio, really. Don’t you have a lover already? What were you thinking, flirting with him and inviting him to sit with us?”

Gladio kept his eyes on Noctis as the raven couldn’t help the way his hips swayed due to his high-heeled boots. The rugged man smirked playfully. “We broke up weeks ago, Iggy. And besides… she’s seeing someone else. What’s wrong with flirting if you’re not taken? I’m sure he’ll enjoy a little break.”

“Just know what you’re getting yourself into,” he warned, although he knew Gladio already wasn’t listening.

“Hey, Noct,” Prompto said, lightly bumping shoulders with his friend at the counter.

Noctis briefly looked over his shoulder at his customers and caught the rugged man winking at him. He whipped his head back around, the blush clearly evident in his cheeks. “H-hey.”

Prompto noticed Noctis’s flushed complexion and unsteady breathing. “You okay, buddy? What’s the matter?” He gasped, taking the raven’s hand in his. “You’re not feeling sick are you?!”

Noctis whined softly, pulling his hand away. “No, I’m… fine. I just, um…” He abruptly turned away from Prompto, grabbing the tray of the two gentlemen’s order. “Just let me deliver this, okay?” The sudden ire in his tone was like a slap to Prompto’s face.

Prompto backed up. “Uh, yeah sure.” He watched carefully as Noctis brought the tray over to the two, what he thought, best looking men in the entire establishment. Then, after Noctis set the tray down, he saw how his friend shifted and swayed back and forth like an anxious kid in school, steeling himself for his report card.

Red, flushed cheeks… uneven breathing… frequent stuttering… Something clicked in the blonde’s mind. He smirked at the idea that maybe Noctis seemed nervous because he thought one of them attractive. He showed all the signs after all.

Prompto wouldn’t say anything yet though, not wanting to embarrass his friend. He continued studying their interactions with a knowing smile as he signalled Damian for a drink.

$$$$$

“S-so, G-Gladio and Ignis, right?” Noctis asked, shifting from one aching foot to the other.

The man with the glasses, Ignis, nodded and took a sip of his martini, while Gladio, the rugged good-looking man, raised his beer to the raven. “Yup,” he chuckled. “I like the way you say my name, Noctis.”

Sweat beaded under Noctis’s shirt as he tugged it away from his neck. “Uh, thanks, um…” A shy smile played on his face.

“Wanna sit with us?”

His blue eyes opened wide, his heart pounding in his ears at Gladio’s offer. “Sure, i-if that’s what you want…” He plopped himself down on Gladio’s lap, gasping as the man’s obvious erection nestled between his ass cheeks. “Ah-!”

“Oh- ah, you don’t-,” the rugged man started, shifting his weight below the raven’s bottom. He still groaned, his hitching breath betraying his true feelings.

Ignis almost snorted his martini at the raven’s loud yelp. “Good heavens, are you alright?! What happened?”

Noctis quickly patted his own fleeing bulge down, as he repositioned himself to where Gladio’s arousal was beside his thigh. “Y-yeah, I’m okay… it’s nothing.” ‘Gods, he’s enormous,’ he mused, taking a deep breath. Still, he couldn’t deny how amazing it was just feeling the man through his pants.

Noctis had never been with a man who held so much length and girth. He tried to imagine how his body would react if they were together. Alone in a room, having deep, passionate sex with Gladio thrusting his girth farther into Noctis’s bottom, his seed threatening to spill forth. Noctis writhing, screaming Gladio’s name, all hot and sweaty against the man’s glistening washboard abs...

The very thought had Noctis blushing and unwillingly panting.

“Uh, sweetie, I meant sit ‘beside’ us, not in my lap,” Gladio chuckled awkwardly, gently patting Noctis’s shoulder.

“Oh… I, uh, I’m s-sorry. It’s actually… it’s in my job description to, um, sit on customers’ laps,” he apologized, rubbing his neck in embarrassment as he slid down to sit on the booth.

“Hey, if it’s gonna cost you a job, then by all means. Come sit in my lap,” Gladio beckoned. His deep, sensuous tone turning Noctis to mush. “I really don’t mind at all.”

“Y-you sure?”

“Will I get you fired if you don’t?”

Noctis couldn’t put his finger on it, but there was something pleasantly different about this man compared to other customers. He was letting Noctis make all the decisions, waiting for him to give the man permission. It was… nice.

Noctis slowly climbed back into the rugged man’s lap and sat sideways so he could have the view of the man’s friendly features. He was so close to the man now that he could hear Gladio’s husky breathing and steady heartbeat; heavy warmth radiating off of his taut, chiseled torso. Noctis couldn’t recall a time when he felt this comforted.

This guy wasn’t looking to make him feel like cheap trash, he was being kind towards him, treating him like a real person. It was a feeling that resonated in Noctis’s heart, telling him that maybe he was different. Maybe this time, he wouldn’t have to sell his soul.

He saw nothing but warm, honest intentions in those kind, amber orbs.

Gladio tried to hide his grunts through coughing as his erection was being caressed by Noctis’s ass cheeks every time he moved. Heat rose in his core, catching a whiff of the raven’s alluring cologne as Noctis unknowingly fondled the man through his jeans.

The man found himself drowning in the dark blue oceans that were Noctis’s eyes. He had never seen such beautiful blue eyes before, and they seemed to sing to Gladio.

They stayed this way kinda just staring at each other until Ignis broke the silence. “Well, I do have work in the morning and so do you, Gladio. It’s after 10,” he chidingly reminded his friend.

Gladio reluctantly teared away from Noctis’s beautiful gaze and nodded at Ignis. “Yeah… right, Iggy.”

As Gladio slowly moved out of the booth with the raven bouncing on his lap, he stole a kiss on Noctis’s cheek. “That was for being such a great host,” he purred, caressing the raven’s chin before gently scooting him off his lap.

Wide blue eyes stared blankly at the man as the lingering passion from that tiny gesture sparked flames in Noctis’s heart. He bewilderingly slumped down in the booth. “Uh, w-will I see you again?” Silently, he prayed so.

“Sure,” Gladio replied, winking at him. “Here tomorrow?” He couldn’t help but stare at Noctis’s thin, pale, exposed hips peeking under his pink top. Now it was Gladio’s turn to blush.

Noctis shook his head, quickly fixing his posture and trying to pull his shirt down over his hips. “The back room next time then?” Of all the things, why would he want to spend time with such a lovely man in this dreadful place? Why didn’t he mention his own place-

“Actually, I was thinking your place, if that’s okay. You got a number?”

By the Astrals, he was serious. It was like he read his mind. “Um, yeah! I don’t have a pen though,” he admitted, combing his hands through his messy hair.

Ignis sighed, handing a fountain pen to the raven. “You can use mine.”

Noctis took it hesitantly. It seemed too beautiful a pen for him to hold but he quickly found a napkin and jotted down his number. “There you go.”

Before the man took the napkin and pen back, he pressed a kiss to Noctis’s knuckles. “Much obliged, sweetie,” he winked again. “I’ll call ya soon.”

Noctis said nothing, blushing hard as he watched them walk out the doors. Not a second later, Prompto bolted to his side. “New guys?”

The raven glanced at his knuckles and held them close to his chest. “Uh-huh,” he uttered simply.

Prompto gave him a light nudge, knowing full well what kind of impression they had made on his best friend. “They seemed nice.”

Noctis smiled.

$$$$$

“Sho, thohshe new customersh… what were dhey like?”, Prompto asked, mouth full of popcorn.

Noctis smirked at his friend, flipping through various channels of trashy programs. “They were nice, like you said,” he told him, but the nervous quip in his tone said ‘oh no, they were much more than that.’ He swallowed hard to suppress it.

“Just nice? Nothing special about ‘em?”

Noctis shifted nervously under Prompto’s prying questions. “Yeah, so what? They were nice, that’s it.”

“Okay, if you say so,” the blonde responded, still suspicious of Noctis’s true feelings.

“Why are you saying it like that?” His tone sounded both offended and unsure. “What are you getting at?”

Prompto glanced at him. “Ah, nothing! Really, dude. It’s totally cool. They were nice, I get it,” he relented.

“So, anyway, how are you feeling now?” Noctis pointed at the ice pack that Prompto had tucked close to his crotch.

The guy that had been with the blonde wasn’t gentle by any means, and he made sure Prompto knew that. “Eh, it’s numb now. Hurt like hell a few hours ago. The guy also left a gross hickie, see?” He tilted his head to the left and there it was: a little red knick that had scabbed up since then.

“Sorry, Prompto,” the raven patted his arm. “You’re off tomorrow too, right?”

Prompto shook his head. “No, but I’ve got a shorter shift. Five to eleven! So, not too bad,” he flashed a bright blue-eyed smile. “We can spend a little time tryin’ out that new game! Remember?”

“Yeah, that’ll be fun,” his voice dropped to a whisper as he shut the tv off. To be honest, Noctis was kind of glad he was going to be the only one home tomorrow. It would give him a bit of relief from Prompto’s ever-watchful eyes.

He hated himself for feeling good about Prompto working alone. He knew he despised their job just as much as he did and only by working together did they seem to find some measure of sanity.

If Prompto was at work, then that meant Noctis could do whatever he wanted without the fear of his friend ever finding out about the pills. They were his lifeline, his escape. Life- he didn’t think he’d still have life today if not for those tiny, light blue colored tablets that saved him from so much trouble.

Noctis understood just how much Prompto wanted to help him and save him from this life, but he couldn’t hurt him again. Never again. That night, on Prompto’s 19th birthday, he swore the guilt would forever be written on his conscience.

They had a little disagreement, to say the least. Noctis had begun to feel shortness of breath, almost to the point where his airway felt constricted. Prompto had urged him that they should head for the hospital, afraid something was terribly wrong.

Noctis assured him he was fine and that it would go away on its own, but the blonde was extremely unsettled by that diagnosis. He picked up the phone to dial for an ambulance and Noctis became furious, yanking the phone away.

Shouting ensued and Prompto had shaken him by the shoulders, trying to get him to listen when his face was struck by something hard. He landed, sprawled over the coffee table with a bloody lip, a broken nose and a bruised knee.

Noctis hit him so hard, he didn’t even realize it until Prompto straightened up with tears in his blue eyes, cradling his bloody nose. Noctis then had to be the one to call the ambulance for Prompto.

His nose all stitched up the next morning had him breathing through his mouth for a few weeks and it was agony. Noctis nearly couldn’t say a word for days after it happened, and he couldn’t tell Prompto why he had done it either.

Even the tears in his friend’s eyes weren’t pleading enough for the raven to explain to him why.

It hurt them both for a year and a half before Prompto stepped back from Noctis’s line of insecurities and learned to deal with his strange and often painful abuse of his body. The blonde acknowledged those pills every time he opened the medicine cabinet, but never said a word about them.

Noctis wondered why in silence, but wouldn’t risk asking the blonde if he ever knew. So he took to hiding the pills in his pillowcase for ease of access, and a good place to keep them hidden.

“Well,” Prompto stretched, getting up from the sofa. “Think I better get ready for bed. You comin’?”

“Uh, no. I’m gonna stay awake a little longer. I wanna see if they’re running any other good movies tonight,” he said, trying to think of a good excuse. He was secretly expecting a call from Gladio, but of course he wouldn’t tell Prompto. “Sleep tight.”

“Yeah, you get some good rest too, ‘kay, Noct? You could really use it.” The sadness in his eyes told Noctis how worried about him he truly was.

“I will,” the raven waved back.

$$$$$

It was around 2 a.m. when Noctis had fallen asleep on the sofa, his hands curled under the pillow his head rested on. Tonya slept between his legs, mewling softly as she slumbered.

The rumble in his sweatshirt pocket woke him up, his phone vibrating against his waist. Groaning, he turned over and covered his eyes with an arm as he fished his phone out. He swiped the screen to the right and answered. “Yeah?,” he mumbled, yawning.

_"Hey. Hope I didn't wake you up, sweetie."_

The deep voice on the other side broke Noctis’s yawn as he lay there with wide eyes in the dark. Silence came from his side, still not believing this guy called him at 2 in the morning. But he actually felt… happy for once.

“Uh, h-hey. You called so late.”

Grumbled laughter on the other line made Noctis’s stomach flutter. _“Yeah, heh heh. Sorry, thought you were a night-owl, workin’ at a place like that. If I woke you up, go back to sleep, sweetie. I don’t wanna keep you up.”_

“No, no, it’s okay, really. I was just taking a power nap when you called. My roommate just went to bed and I had the night to myself.”

_“Oh, well, that’s a relief. Didn’t want to make a bad first impression,”_ he chuckled, his laugh was crystal clear even over the static of the phone. It made Noctis hot.

“What makes you think you’d make a bad impression? You looked pretty good to me.”

Oh, that had the man off and running on laughter now, with Noctis playing on sarcasm and turning his own words around. _“I happen to think of myself as quite a stunner, so it sounds like we’re on the right track here, Noctis. You’re quite the little charmer yourself.”_

Noctis was glad the man couldn’t see his obvious blush or the thumping bulge growing hard beneath the fabric of his night pants. “Heh, thanks. So, uh, you doing anything important right now?”

_“Nothin’ but jackin’ off to your sexy voice, sweetie. That’s in my new list of top ten important things for me to do,”_ his sarcastic and what was taken as a crude remark had Noctis on edge now.

Noctis frowned, stroking over his erection to help himself relax. “Oh.” He was beginning to feel rather intimidated and thought about hanging up the phone, but kept his wits about him as silence hung on the line again.

Gladio spoke again. _“Hey, you still there?”_

“Still here.”

_“Look, I’m sorry, sweetie. That was fuckin’ rude of me and I’m sorry. I barely know you, so I’m sure that makes this phone call pretty, damn uncomfortable.”_ It sounded like a sincere apology, but the raven wasn’t about to let his guard down yet.

“You’re right. I hardly know anything about you, and yet here you are sexually assaulting me. Over the phone no less!” He hadn’t meant for it to come out so harshly like that, but he couldn’t help it.

The man sighed. _“I guess I should get off the line now and leave you alone. I’m really sorry, Noctis. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, I was only joking. You working tomorrow?”_

Noctis didn’t want to talk to this guy anymore, no matter how many times he apologized. He stroked himself harder, grasping at his arousal before he responded. “No, I’m off,” he said plainly, panting as he felt his core tightening up.

Gladio noticed something was off when he heard the labored breathing over the phone. _“You alright, sweetie? Is something wrong? You don’t sound good,”_ he unknowingly pried a little too far for Noctis’s liking.

“No. Nothing. Just… hang up, please.” His breaths quickened as he bucked at his fingers, sticking his hand inside his pants. He arched, sweat beading over his nape. “Hang up!”

_“Alright, alright! I’ll, uh, talk to you later then?”_ He purposefully kept on the line as he had a feeling he knew what Noctis was doing. _“Noctis? Is that alright, sweetie?”_

He bucked up and down rapidly, squeezing and stroking his length until the pressure became unbearable. His panting heavy and shallow.

“Good night!” He hit the hang-up button and threw his phone to the floor. His orgasm came fast, his body shuddering as his quivering cock pulsed out the rest of his milky fluid.

His heart pounding against his chest, he panicked, breathing shallowly as he tried to relax. But he was too upset and overwhelmed. “Shit!”, he whimpered, tears threatening to flow. “Please stop, stop…”

The horrible, rapid thrumming of his heart began aching in his chest as he ran for the bathroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh gosh... Gladio is just a big chunk of hunk, isn't he?
> 
> Also, I'm sorry, Noct!!
> 
> What do you think?
> 
> Pairings start coming into play here ;)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Here's an update for this one...
> 
> Huh, two updates in one day for two fics... guess since I've got Christmas break, I have a little too much time on my hands, lol.
> 
> Enjoy

“Okay, keys… wallet… um…” Prompto frantically patted his pockets for everything he needed before heading out the door.

“Prompto, that’s the seventh time you’ve double checked your stuff,” Noctis laughed from the sofa. “Go.”

Prompto scratched the back of his head, smiling at his friend. “Yeah, I know. I just wanna make sure I’ve got everything…”

“You’re gonna need tissues.”

“Right! Thanks, Noct.” He ripped some tissues out from the box on the dented coffee table and stuffed them in his sweatshirt pocket. “Sometimes I forget just how dirty work can be,” he sighed.

 Noctis hummed unamused. “That’s what you’ve got me for.”

The blonde laughed, reaching for the doorknob. “Yeah, glad you’re not going to work today. You need a day off.”

“Thanks, Prompto. Try to have at least somewhat of a “clean” day, huh?” The raven waved him off, thumbing the cap of his pill bottle hidden in his sweatshirt pocket.

“I’ll try. See you later, buddy.” But he stopped just before turning the doorknob, dreading what kind of mood he would find Noctis in when he came home. He turned back around. “Noct?”

 “Yeah?”, he replied groggily, yawning and stretching over the arm of the couch.

“You gonna be okay here by yourself?”

“Prompto!”

“No, Noct, really! I just-”

“Go,” Noctis said suddenly. “You’ll be late.”

Prompto stepped forward. “Noct, please, if you just-”

“Go!” The way the raven shouted made Prompto feel like an outsider, like he was a nobody. His behavior started getting worse as the days went on, Noctis becoming increasingly hostile and upset with every little thing that went wrong; even something as small as misplacing a sock.

Prompto tried his best to keep a close eye on him without getting involved, but it was getting harder and harder. Sometimes, in the dead quiet of their usual evenings, he would flinch at a loud bang or crash in their apartment; jumping up only to find that Noctis had thrown some heavy object against the wall or dropped a plate and broken it on purpose.

But the strangest part was that he would admit to it, begging Prompto for forgiveness and crying into his shoulder. Then after they had gone to bed experiencing an episode like that, the raven would wake up in a cold sweat and play with Prompto’s hair, asking him to touch him.

It was so very clear that Noctis needed help from someone, anyone willing to help him. Prompto knew what his problem was, but had long ago made a promise not to tell anyone. Not even a doctor.

Sometimes the blonde would indulge Noctis his crude wishes, despite regretting it every single time. They weren’t at all boyfriends, no. It was, just like everything else, an escape. A way for Noctis to free himself for a few simple moments from his troubles when he should be facing them.

This would all end if he would just let Prompto help him. But Noctis hated the doctor and any kind of medical advice, accusing them of blaming him for his mistakes and his various coping mechanisms. As soon as they would leave the doctor’s office, Noctis would vent his anger towards them, saying they didn’t understand and would never understand; he called them “big, dumb fucks who made way too much money to care about real people.” Prompto would laugh at his comment, but only because he couldn’t argue with his best friend.

 Incidents like this would occur way too often for Prompto’s liking.

Prompto sulked back to the door and stepped out, glancing once more at the frustrated raven. “Okay, well, um… have a nice day, Noct.”

Noctis snorted, flipping through the pictures on his phone. He heard Prompto sigh as his friend left the apartment. Waiting for a couple seconds until the blonde’s footsteps disappeared, Noctis whipped the bottle of pills out of his sweatshirt, throwing his phone to the other side of the couch.

His heart raced as he popped the cap open and shakily dumped four blue pills into his palm and swallowed them dry. He breathed a heavy sigh of relief, slowly screwing the cap back on and placing it on the table as he shrugged his pants and boxers off.

He dropped them over the edge of the couch, rolling his fingers over his limp member. Immediately, the wave of pleasure filled his middle and he felt content massaging himself in the quiet of their empty apartment. He wrapped his palm over his entire length, sliding up and down as he pumped and squeezed it; groaning into his own smooth motions, throwing his head back.

He didn’t have to keep his moans to himself now, he could be as loud as he wanted, being alone for at least seven hours. So he reached for his phone and pulled up his pictures again, panting and feeling his core start to tighten as his hand sped up his caresses. He flipped through his locked pages of an album he labeled, ‘Me Only, Sorry’, and clicked on a picture of a man, completely naked and touching himself.

“Fuck…,” the raven whined against his own hand on his bouncing member, studying the picture closely as he paid special attention to just how large the man’s cock was in the image. It reminded him of that attractive man that had called him just last night and in that moment, he gripped his length even harder; relishing the pulsing in his palm as he remembered how much girth that man packed in his pants.

He tried to imagine Gladio’s face on the man’s body and laughed at it, thinking the guy’s body in the picture was nothing like the real man he had met at work. He was hot, the hottest man he had seen in his whole life and he was nice and respectful. But then, Noctis recalled their conversation over the phone and became upset instantly, purposefully pulling on his leaking, throbbing member to cause himself pain as he remembered how rude the guy had been to him.

He grunted while he pulled and squeezed, his heart pounding against his ribs as he gasped and moaned out loud through his orgasm. His white seed shot out with great force, his core loosening once again as his breathing slowed and his heart rate returned to its steady rhythm.

He yelled into the quietness, clicking his phone off and slamming it on the couch cushion beside him. Rubbing his hands through his messy, raven hair, he breathed out slowly as he whined into the guilt of satisfying his anger. “I hate you,” he mumbled to himself. “Why do you do this to yourself, asshole?”

Soon after, he felt sleepy again as his eyes slipped closed, yawning into the pillow on his lap since he had put his pants back on. He draped a fleece blanket over his legs and settled into his usual, comfy spot in the corner of the couch.

Not a minute later, his phone started ringing, blaring in his ears as he bolted upright. He grabbed for his phone and looked at the number flashed on the screen. It wasn’t Prompto because he had the nickname ‘Chocoblondie’ set for him; he couldn’t recognise the number, but answered it anyway.

“H-hello?”

_"Hey."_

 That deep, sensuous tone… it was Gladio again. Noctis swallowed the lump in his throat as he realized who it was. “Uh, hey, um… what do you want?”, he meant to sound like he was interrogating him.

A nervous chuckle vibrated the static. _“I hope you’re not still mad at me. I just wanted to chat for a little, if that’s alright.”_ He actually sounded genuine, like he was trying to earn Noctis’s forgiveness.

“Why?”

_“Well, we ended our first conversation a little awkwardly last night, and I wondered if I could maybe… make up for my rudeness?”_

Noctis remained silent for a minute, thinking how best to answer this question. Should he say yes? Or say something defensive? He started feeling rather unsure about this phone call. “Uh… I… don’t know… um…”

Gladio cleared his throat on the other line. _“Hey, if it’s too much for you right now, we can forget about that for a while and start over?”_

“Start over? What do you mean? Forget about how you harassed me? Forget about how you tried to force me to tell you every little juicy detail about my life?!” The raven’s voice rose, feeling incredibly on edge.

_“Hey, hey! Relax! It’s alright, I didn’t mean to hurt you, sweetie.”_

“Stop calling me ‘sweetie’.”

The man chuckled. _“Okay, mind if I call you ‘Noct’?”_

“We’re not close enough for you to call me that,” he hissed.

_“‘Noctis’, then? I like your full name too. Sounds nice,”_ Gladio said, his tone still gentle and lighthearted.

Noctis groaned, rolling his blue eyes. “Can you just get to the point and tell me what kind of shit you called me for?”

 Gladio sighed. _“I just wanted to talk. Get to know you better, become friends, y’know?”_

“I know you want to be more than just friends, creep. You just wanna get into my pants, don’t you?”

_“Wait a sec, hold on, Noctis. I never said that, I just wanted to-”_

“You said it not even five minutes into the phone call! You were touching yourself while talking to me!”

_“No, I was only kidding! Really, believe me! I just thought you’d like a joke,”_ he admitted, unconvincingly.

“Yeah, well, I get that a lot. You think just because I get fucked daily for a living that you can sexually harass me like that? I’m still a human being!”

Gladio huffed, tensing his vocal muscles to talk much deeper than usual. _“I know that, Noctis, and that’s not what I meant it to come out as. I just didn’t think you’d take it that personally. I was only trying to make you laugh.”_

“Don’t,” he forced, palming his bottle of pills sitting on the table.

The line fell silent for a while as Noctis attempted to calm himself down as much as he could manage. It wasn’t easy talking to this man, no matter how attractive or nice he seemed. He still made the raven feel so insecure.

Lots of men did that to him, especially at work. He felt like there were lustful eyes on him at all times, no matter where he was, or rude and inappropriate gestures being made in his direction as he walked to anywhere. He felt so trapped, so helpless, so… vulnerable.

He wanted to say something so hurtful to the man for sending such crude vibes down his spine during their first phone call last night. Gladio had been unintentionally threatening towards the young raven, but Noctis couldn’t help the way he felt. He was treated that way for so long, that he didn’t really know how to take it as a joke.

_“So I guess this means you don’t wanna talk to me anymore, right?”_

Noctis flinched at his sudden, booming words over the phone static, but managed to finally say something worth at least a try. After all, the man did apologize and also regarded him with warm respect; the kind Noctis forgot still existed in humans. “No.”

_“‘No’? You sure? ‘Cuz I can hang up if you still feel that way about me. No hard feelings, Noctis, I respect your privacy.”_

“You said you wanted to talk, so talk. What? What do you want?”

Gladio sighed once more at Noctis’s prickly urging. _“You doing anything right now?”_

“Actually, yeah,” he smirked, taking this opportunity by the horns to get payback. “I’m getting banged by this incredibly hot guy. He's got the biggest gun you ever laid eyes on and it feels amazing inside.”

That made Gladio chuckle, his gurgly laughter made Noctis’s stomach do backflips as his member stuck up, stretching the front of his pants.

_“Aw, how sweet. You like big guys, do ya?”_

“Oh yeah, I’m bottoming by the way,” he added with a breathy sigh. “I like to be manhandled.”

_“You sound like you’ve got all your kinks worked out, Noctis. How’s he treatin’ you?”_

“I like it raw, but gentle. A little sensitive, but firm. Kinda like being massaged by a pickle,” he snorted at his own joke.

_“A pickle, huh? Well, tell ya what. Why don’t you kick that guy out of your bed and I’ll come spend a little time you?”_

“You got a car?”

_“And the keys.”_

“No, really. You got a car?”

_“Yeah, I got a car. How come?”_

“Just wondering,” he said plainly, hoping it would take him a while to get here. “Need my address?”

_“Lay it on me.”_

Gods, the way he said that had Noctis sweating already, gasping out a few sighs. “22 West Way Apartments, on the second floor. Huge white building with a broken fountain in front, can’t miss it.”

_“Gotcha. Be there in about 15. Hope your guy’s gone by then,”_ his tone sounded playful and still had quite the sexy charm.

“‘Kay, see you then.”

_“Will do.”_

“Wait! Gladio?”

Ruffled noises crowded the phone. _“Yeah?”_

“You know I was kidding about having a guy over here, right?”

Gladio laughed again. _“I know,”_ he replied, calm as ever.

Noctis smiled. “Ok, good. I’ll see you when you get here then.”

_“Right. And if you’ve got anything nice to wear, you wanna put it on?”_

“Sure. I’ll be the one in pink,” he teased.

Gladio’s breathing sped up over the phone. _“Ha ha! Just don’t start without me, alright?”_

The line went dead then as Noctis swiped his call to ‘hang up’. He set the phone down gently, glancing back over at the tempting orange bottle of little, pale blue pills. He stood up from the couch with a pleased grin and tucked the bottle under the couch cushion before he ran down the hall to fix himself up for his houseguest.

Maybe this time, he wouldn’t have to give in afterwards. Maybe this time, things could be different.

$$$$$

 

Noctis rushed for the bathroom, yanking his bristle brush out of the medicine cabinet. He combed his hair back and up into the best style he could manage, trying to make it look presentable but still messily sexy. “If I were him, would this hair make me wanna crawl on top of me? ...Yeah, it would,” he laughed, tossing his brush back and closing the cabinet. He took one look into the mirror again and stopped.

His eyes were bloodshot and had a pitiful, shadowy hue to them, his face was greasy and shiny like he hadn’t bathed in days, and his mouth was crusted over with drool. “Shit… you need to clean up better,” he said, taking a washcloth out of the wicker basket they used for towels and such. He let hot water run over it and slapped it to his face, cleaning off the drool and the crusty stuff out of his eyes as well as wiping off the greasy shine. “That’s good.”

He stepped out and shut the bathroom light off, moving to open their closet, where Prompto’s pajamas laid strewn all over the carpeted floor. “Prompto…” He quickly kicked them to the side as he reached for the ensemble he already had picked out.

He slipped on a pale pink, v-neck cropped shoulder and hem t-shirt and short, black flared shorts. Even though it was close to freezing outside, Noctis thought it was a pretty attractive outfit. “Hope he likes it…”

Next, he ran out into the living room and tried to tidy up everything, from fluffing the couch cushions to even dusting off the tv stand. He picked up his various little snot rags and threw them in the trash, double-checking on his phone camera that he still looked presentable.

Finally, he went for the kitchen to find some beverages to serve, intending to offer Gladio a drink. The only thing they didn’t have, was alcoholic beverages. Being pretty sure that’s what he would ask for, Noctis mentally scolded himself. ‘Dammit, why don’t I drink it?’

Just then, there was a firm, rapid knock on the door.

“Shit!”, Noctis bumbled, racing for the front door. “He must’ve been speeding to get here that fast…” He smirked naughtily at the thought as he turned the knob of the door and let it fly open.

“Hey there,” that sexy voice finally had a face that stood at the door to his apartment. HIS apartment.

Noctis’s breath hitched as he studied the man from top to bottom. Gods, was he ever the most attractive man Noctis had ever seen. His auburn hair was slicked back just like last time he saw him, and it flipped up in numerous places along his nape. He wore a black, collared, button-up top, buttoned down almost to his navel; his tan, taut cascade of muscles peeking through. Wearing plain, blue jeans and large, brown boots.

Noctis tried to keep his emotions to a minimum as he replied. “Uh, hey. You got here pretty fast.”

“Didn’t wanna keep you waiting,” he said, his amber orbs gawking at the smaller man in front of him. “You look amazing. Loving the pink on you.”

Noctis shivered at his comment, his deep tone laced with lust. “Thanks, you wanna come in?”

“Yeah, I do.” He stepped in, ducking down so as not to hit his head on the threshold. He was a little too tall for the apartment. “It’s a nice little place you got here,” he looked around with approving nods.

Noctis hurried for the kitchen, reaching into the refrigerator for some soda. “You want anything to drink?”, he called, a hint of anxiousness in his tone.

“Ah, yeah. Any beer?” He wondered where the raven had gotten to, asking with a raised brow.

“No, no beer. We don’t drink it. But I have soda.”

Gladio snorted, picking a speck out of his eye. “Well, hey, whatever works. I’ll take it if you come back in here.”

Noctis broke out in a cold sweat, hearing the eagerness for him in Gladio’s voice. Heat rose in his cheeks as he slowly padded back into the living room, carrying the soda cans.

“There you are, sweetie-, uh, you don’t mind if I call you that, right?” He had both arms splayed over the couch, one leg crossing the other; his argyle socks sticking out of his pant legs. He looked like he had just decided to make this place home.

Noctis was pleased. “Yeah… um, you can call me anything you like,” he blushed, catching a glance of the man’s bulge in the stretch of his pants. “What would you like to do?”

Gladio stretched his arms and groaned, heaving his bulk off the couch. He shuffled over toward the nervous raven with a warm smile. “Actually, I wanted to ask you for something.”

Noctis couldn’t keep eye contact with him. His face was hot as the man loomed over him, trying to catch the raven’s blue eyes.

“You okay, sweetie? You look a little flushed,” he said, concerned as he reached for his chin, thumbing it gently.

Noctis let out a quiet gasp at the feel of his broad hand on his face. “W-what did you want to a-ask me?”

Gladio chuckled softly, tilting Noctis’s chin up to look into his eyes. “Can I kiss you?”

“Oh gods…” Noctis went stock still, dropping the cans of soda as he stared into Gladio’s piercing gaze. His mouth fell open as the man bent down to upturn the sodas on the carpet. “Sorry…,” he mumbled, fumbling with his hands.

“No biggie,” the big guy responded, grinning at the younger man as he noticed just how unsure of this he was. “Uh, you sure you’re alright, Noctis?”

“You really want to kiss me?”

Gladio leaned in closer, taking Noctis’s chin again and thumbing his little, pink lips. “I really do,” he purred.

“That’s all?”

Gladio huffed laughter. “Unless you’re up for more than that?”

Noctis’s sapphires sparkled, the red rims around them making them look like jewels. “Can we take it one step at a time?”, he whispered.

Gladio came dangerously close to capturing his mouth. “Slow and steady… I like that,” his husky tone giving Noctis’s member some height in his boxers, leaking just a little down his thighs.

Noctis whimpered, placing his clammy palms over Gladio’s broad hand. “Go ahead.”

“Gimme your hands first,” he said, whispering near his ear. His hot breath coating Noctis’s raven strands with moisture.

He lifted his hands out to him, his breathing became labored as Gladio’s comforting palms held his smaller hands so firmly. The raven trembled, letting out a squeak.

Gladio leaned in, closing his eyes as he licked across the raven’s lips. “It’s okay, relax. I won’t do anything you don’t want me to, but I want you to enjoy this.”

“I will,” Noctis squeaked again. “I don’t know why I’m so nervous right now, dammit.”

“Natural, Noctis. Let it be what it is, okay?”

Noctis nodded, carefully placing his lips inches from Gladio’s, when the taller man took his mouth a little too quick for the raven. Noctis yelped into his mouth, backing up some as Gladio came forward, letting Noctis’s hands drop to his sides. He reached behind him and wrapped both arms around his smaller spine, hugging him closer to embrace the kiss.

“Wait!-” Noctis mumbled against the kiss, struggling in his broad, muscular arms, pushing on his chest.

Gladio moaned into Noctis’s warm mouth, subduing his tongue as he coiled his own around it, squeezing it.

In a desperate effort to get him off, Noctis pinched his erect member, causing Gladio to yell and break the kiss as saliva trailed from their mouths.

Wiping the saliva away, Gladio scowled. “The hell was that for?!”

Noctis panted, stepping back. “Y-you said “slow!!” That was not slow at all, jackass! Why did you do that?!”

“I was kissing you! You didn’t have to pinch my crotch. All you had to say was “stop”!”

“I DID,” he retorted, frustrated. “But you still didn’t stop!”

They stood there seething at each other. Noctis’s blues glaring into Gladio’s ambers as both of their arousals panted for each other. Gladio studied the raven carefully, seeing how quickly his expression changed to anger.

“You should probably go,” Noctis muttered, tugging his shorts down.

Gladio huffed. “Yeah… sure.” He left for the door, grabbing his boots when he stopped and turned back around to face Noctis. “Kinda ironic. Guess sex just isn’t your cup of tea, huh? You like big guys, but you're too scared to be fucked by ‘em. You work as a hooker, but you’re too much of a virgin coward to do your job well.”

“Get the fuck out!”, Noctis shouted, throwing a can at the door, hitting the wall beside instead.

“You’re a pretty bad thrower too,” he scoffed, leaving in a fit as he slammed the door behind him.

Noctis dove for the couch cushion, pulling the bottle of pills out from under. “I hate you, Gladio… leave me alone, fucker…” He dumped at least six of the pills into his palm and swallowed them at once, choking some as they roughly tumbled down.

In a huff, Noctis bolted upright, only to find himself dizzy. He wobbled a little, plopping back on the couch as he stuck his hand in his pants and thumbed at his slit, arching into it.

A few minutes later, his phone rang again, jolting him out of his self-indulgent trance. He held it in a tight grip, squeezing it before looking at the number. “Gods damn you to hell, Gladio, if this is you again, I swear-” The word flashed ‘Chocoblondie’ on the screen and Noctis swiped the button to answer.

Prompto rarely called from work.

 “Prompto? What’s wrong, buddy?”

Silence at first, then he heard shuffling and labored breathing over the static. _“N-Noct…? Noct, c-can you hear me…?”_ The frailty of the blonde’s tone made Noctis anxious.

“Yeah, I can hear you. Prompto, what’s going on? What’s the matter? You okay?”

_“Noct… gods… please help me. I’m… scared I was… no, I know I was…”_

“Prompto, what? You were what?! Talk to me, Prompto!” Crying echoed in his ear from the other side.

_“Noct… someone… left me. I’m bleeding, I’m dirty… Please, c-come get me… please, I need you…”_

Noctis feared the worst, his heart pounding. “Okay, okay, I’m coming, Prompto… where are you?”

_“Back… the back of work… Noct, I hate this… I hate this-s-s-s!!!”_ He broke out into heavy sobs, making the line break some.

Noctis held back his own tears, guessing just what had happened and wishing it hadn’t. “Prompto, I’m coming, okay? Just don't move, I’ll be there fast as I can, okay?”

Prompto’s crying intensified.

“Stay on the line with me, Prompto, okay? I need you to-” He had to stop talking as his chest began to ache again, his heart throbbing now, making his head hurt. “P-Prompto? You still there?” He was sweating profusely as he stumbled toward the front door. “I’m c-coming…”

_“Noct…? Noct, you there, buddy? Please, Noct?!”_

There came no answer as the phone tumbled out of Noctis’s prone, limp hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These poor boys never seem to catch a break.
> 
> Let me know your thoughts or take a guess at what might happen next!
> 
> Thanks for reading ;)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't sure how to start this one, but I think it turned out pretty well! There's more to come after this... oh boy, is there ever.
> 
> Here it is :)

The beeping intensified, ringing in his ears as his heart fluttered softly in rhythm with the machine. His mind clouded over, his head swollen with throbbing pain. He was somewhere that reeked of sickness, and he was right.

Slowly, his eyes lifted to a dotted tile ceiling and fluorescent lights, a cool breeze brushed over him from the oxygen tank beside his railed bed. A cup strapped to his mouth helped him breathe easy as the IV dripped through the wiry tube and into his veins.

A hospital, but why was he here? The last thing he remembered was the phone… and Prompto. He was talking to Prompto over the phone when he suddenly felt dizzy and then his mind went blank. Nothing else made sense to him right now.

He rested his arm over his forehead and felt a fever, not realizing till now that he was shivering. The room was cold enough already and smelled of dead turkeys. Gods, he hated hospitals… and doctors.

“What the hell happened?” He attempted to sit up, but plopped back against the pillow, still feeling too weak to move on his own properly. As he began to fall asleep again, the beeping of the heart monitor now a soothing lullaby, a nurse walked in with a tray of pills, water and a cloche of what he assumed was his dinner or breakfast… he had no idea what the hell time it was.

“Good morning, honey,” she greeted him, her high-pitched squawk made him wince. “You’ve been sleeping a long time, doctor thought he might’ve given you too much morphine.”

She laughed, but Noctis only glared at her. He didn’t think that was funny at all, joking about a doctor accidentally killing him with drugs.

“How ya feeling?” She pressed the back of her hand against his temple. “Hmm, it’s an improvement, fever’s goin’ down some at least.”

“What am I doing here?”, he demanded, scooting up on his pillow.

“You collapsed, hun. Gentleman found you and brought you here. And you were very lucky he did,” she wiggled her finger in his face, drawing out the ‘very lucky’ part. “We almost couldn’t save you!”

“Wait,” he paused, shutting his eyes at the sudden jolt in his chest from moving too fast. “What gentleman?” He started panting, holding his chest for relief. “Who brought… me here?” He gasped out between breaths. “Holy shit… I can’t… breathe!”

“It’s alright, honey, relax. Doctor said you’d be short of breath sometimes. Take this,” she said placing in his palm a triangle shaped, beige pill.

“What... is it?” He lifted the oxygen mask off in a hurry.

“It helps to regulate your heart valves and calm your heart rate. You’ve got a very sick heart, honey,” she explained with a sympathetic grin, handing him the cup of water from the tray. “Take it now, go on.”

He tossed it in and took a swig of the water, finishing with a heaved breath. “Shit! When will… it stop… doing this?!”

“In a little while, sweetie, don’t worry. I’m gonna go call your doctor and tell him you're awake now. Keep this on too,” she said, placing the oxygen mask back over his nose and mouth.

“Hang on!”, he called after her as she held the handle of the door. “Who… brought me... he-here?”

“A man named um, Gladio Amicitia, I believe? I think he’s the one, should be. Would you like me to bring him in to see you?”

Noctis crossed his arms, huffing through his gasping breaths. Of course it was him. Why would he even care after what happened in Noctis’s apartment? Why would he go so far to help him, of all other people?

What DID happen? And how did he find Noctis out cold? And all those hurtful words he uttered… why would he care so much to save his life?

He waved her off. “No. No, I don’t wanna see him.”

She shrugged. “Alright, but he seemed mighty worried about you, hun. Said he’d wait as long as he had to till you woke up.”

“Tell him to... fuck off,” he scoffed with a nasty smirk.

She raised her brows at his foul language, leaving the room and carefully settling the door to click in place.

For a few minutes, as his breaths slowly evened out again, he stared at the heart monitor. Hospitals only ever annoyed and disgusted him, feeling like the entire medical profession ignored his real problems. But for some reason, he felt scared now. The beeping actually seemed frightening, the tiny purple, green and yellow numbers scaling up and down constantly as his blood pressure and heart rate fluctuated.

Perhaps it was what the nurse said about him having a sick heart. Of course he knew his heart was an important part of his body, providing him with life. But facing the fact that his heart could have something wrong with it and be pumping so weakly within his chest made him afraid.

Staying in a hospital room alone didn’t help either. He was a mess of nerves, acting anxious every time the beeping sped up and slowed down rapidly. He should’ve asked for Gladio to come in to visit him… sure, he acted like a complete asshole, but at least he wouldn’t be alone.

At least he’d have someone to talk to.

As he lifted the covers up to peek at himself in his green and white hospital gown, a knock rapped on the door.

“Who is it?” His voice came out scratchy and raspy.

“It’s uh, Gladio. Can I come in? Nurse told me you were awake.”

Noctis groaned, making sure he looked like he was engrossed in all of the support machines so he wouldn’t have to talk much. “Come in.”

He gently pushed the heavy door open and cautiously stepped inside, carrying a stuffed skunk under his muscular arm. His gaze landed on the raven and he smiled slightly, intending not to act too friendly. “Hey.”

“Do you say that every time you see someone?”

Gladio huffed. “Only when they’re worth seeing. Consider yourself lucky, brat.”

“Fuck off,” he shot back, shifting his legs under the thin sheet. “What do you want?”

“Nice way to greet someone who just saved your life. I didn’t have to come back, y’know, I was gonna apologize to you,” he started, his tone berating the younger man’s ignorance. “But you won’t even look at me or thank me.”

“You really think you deserve it? You really think you deserve MY gratitude?! First, you sexually assault me over the phone, then you fool me into thinking you're such a great guy by asking to come over, and finally, you force your way into my personal space without fucking asking me first! You think all that DESERVES gratitude?!”

“You’re the one who invited me,” he mumbled, taking a seat on the foot of the bed.

“Wrong. You invited yourself, asshole,” he responded hotly. “You thought you were gonna come over, pull me down and fuck me as long as you wanted, then be on your merry way, right?”

“Isn’t that what your job is all about? Lie down, look pretty and let everyone use you like a sex toy? That’s whatcha get paid for I thought,” he laughed, earning a kick to his thigh from the angered raven.

“Get lost, bastard. I don’t want you here. I don’t want you near me!”

The man gripped the raven’s leg and held it in place. “Well, I wanna be here, alright? You’ve got a bad attitude and you need to quit hiding, you little shit. You could’ve died in your apartment, you know that? If I hadn’t come back up to see you, you would’ve been dead. And your little blonde friend would be all alone.”

Noctis finally turned to him with a bewildered but still angry look. “Wait, what? What about Prompto? What business is he of yours?”

“A big deal, apparently,” he said, nodding back at the door. “My friend, Ignis, found him behind your little establishment all bloody and wet and bruised. He drove him here, hoping they could help him. He’s lookin’ much better now, Iggy’s watchin’ him. But he won’t shut up about you,” he finished with a cold stare.

“Prompto… Prompto’s been hurt? Why? What happened to him?!” He struggled to sit his weak body up, but Gladio gently pushed him back down.

“Hang on, you need to slow down. He’s fine, I told you. He told us someone raped him, but honestly, he’s more worried about you.”

Noctis played with his hands in his lap out of guilt. “So, some sick son of a bitch hurt my best friend, and you’re telling me to slow down? I have to see him!- ah!” He clutched at his chest, heaving as he sunk down into his pillow. He gasped for breath. “Help… please! Shit… I can’t... breathe!”

“Hey, hey, relax! Relax, it’s alright. Take some deep breaths,” he suggested comfortingly. “Deep breaths, Noctis.”

“I can’t! I can’t… breathe!” He clutched harder, wincing and groaning as the pressure tightened across his chest. “Get someone… please! I need… help, Gla...dio…”

He took Noctis’s hand and tenderly squeezed it, looking him right in his fearful sapphire eyes. “Re… lax, Noctis, take a deep breath, alright?”

Noctis frantically searched his face, the man’s soothing, baritone voice helped to calm his worry, strangely. He breathed in through his nose slowly, and let it out in a soft exhale, repeating this for a couple moments. “Am I… okay… Gladio?”

Gladio sighed, grinning at him. “You’re fine, sweetie,” he swept a few raven bangs out of Noctis’s eyes as he squeezed his hand reassuringly again. “You’re just fine. Here, I bought this for you,” he handed him the stuffed skunk.

Noctis eyed him with a funny glance, turning the skunk over in his hand. “A skunk?... really?”

Gladio shrugged, pressing a light kiss to the raven’s knuckles. “I didn’t wanna get you the bear, and I definitely wasn’t gonna get you the doll, so…”

The raven gasped inside, suddenly pulling his hand away out of Gladio’s grip. “Thanks anyway… Where is Prompto?”

“A few rooms down,” he stood up. “You want me to ask Iggy to bring him in?”

“Um…”

Another knock on the half open door brought them out of their conversation.

“Uh, c-come in,” Noctis called out, his voice barely audible due to his nervousness.

His doctor entered the room, a half smile evident on his face as the same nurse followed behind him. The doctor’s expression read an aloof and uninterested disposition, not even looking his patient in the eye as he spoke to him. “Noctis, is it? How do you feel?”

His bored, unenthused tone earned Noctis a quick glance at Gladio as he rolled his eyes. “I’m okay, but what about my heart? What’s wrong with it?”

“Son, you’re a very sick boy. You’ve gotta stop taking those pills, or else… you’re gonna die. And we don’t want that, do we?”

Gladio’s eyes widened, bewildered ambers watching the raven with all seriousness.

Catching the man’s concerned gaze, Noctis hugged his stuffed skunk close and hung his mouth open, unsure of what to say. “Um, w-what pills?”

The nurse spoke up. “Come now, honey. Please don’t be that way, we found them in your sweatshirt pocket. A half empty bottle of quaaludes doesn’t just get there on its own.”

“I want you to rest for at least a month. No rigorous activities, got it? And make sure your boyfriend knows it too,” he harshly reprimanded him, pointing lazily at Gladio. “No sex, understand?”

Both boys quickly caught each other’s gazes, turning away immediately. Noctis spoke up on behalf of that assumption. “He’s NOT my boyfriend.”

The doctor clucked his tongue, leaving the room. “Whatever he is, make sure you rest, alright? I don’t wanna see you back here again.”

“Ditto,” Noctis mumbled, glaring at the doctor’s hunched back. He slouched back down under the sheet, holding his skunk tightly as he glared once more at Gladio. “Can you leave?”

Gladio sighed, rubbing the younger man’s knee. “You really want me to?” Knowing his little friend was a drug addict, he wanted to learn more about what was wrong with him, but he didn’t think he’d get the chance.

“Yeah, I really want you to.”

“Alright,” he complied, pushing off the bed with a groan. “Lemme know how it works out, huh?”

“Uh-huh,” Noctis replied dryly, turning away as the larger man left for the door.

“Get well soon, sweetie,” he waved, disappearing from the room.

The nurse eyed him with a curious smirk from her concentration on the vital machines. “He seems so nice. Are you sure you’re not together?”

Noctis rolled his eyes at her, groaning. “Yes, I’m positive. And what do you care anyway?”

“Just curious,” she relented, holding a hand up in defense. “But the doctor is absolutely correct though, honey. You really need to rest, okay? Your heart can’t take much more of this,” she said, examining his chart. “He recommended you for rehab.”

“But what’s wrong with it? No one will tell me!”

The nurse patted his shoulder reassuringly. “You have a condition called ‘Myocarditis’, hun. It’s a disease of the heart where your valves grow weaker and pump less blood, leading to your shortness of breath, tightness in your chest and your rapid and unsteady heart rates. It’s a very serious problem, one that needs constant monitoring.”

Noctis’s face scrunched up at this information, trying to act like it wasn’t a big deal. But inside, he was freaking out. “H-how did I get it?”

“Well, most times it comes from viral infections, such as the flu or some others like STD’s. It’s actually quite common, and the treatments are fairly non-invasive,” her tone sounded rather hopeful, but the raven couldn’t help his growing fear. “Other times, it can come from a reaction to certain types of drugs if your body isn’t receptive to them. Mostly, it’s a matter of carefully choosing a right and healthy lifestyle for your heart to relax and get well again. I’ve seen it happen!”

The very beginnings of a lump forming in his throat, he bit his lip to keep his tears back. “Could I… die from this?”

“It’s possible,” she said, unraveling the blood pressure cuff. “But unlikely if you follow the right medical advice and keep healthy.”

Unlikely… Okay, he could live with that for a while, until he returned to work. Everything there was about as unhealthy, unnatural and all together brutally insensitive as one could get for a job. This was what he dreaded, fearing that if he continued to harm himself his body would eventually give out.

But what choice did he, or Prompto, have?

They had to make a living, have somewhere to live, buy groceries and the necessities needed for life. If there was anyone to blame for their situation, it certainly wasn’t each other. He had to keep this up, at least till he turned 21.

Would he even make it that far…?

“So... the pills made me sick?”

“130 over 85… not too bad…. yes, they did, sweetie,” she replied, cocking her brows back at his saddened face. “Your system had a serious reaction to that medication. Was it a prescription from another doctor?”

He scoffed. “Of course! You think I got ‘em illegally? I might be young, but I’m not stupid. Dumb, fucking doctor…”

“I never said you were. Just needed to make sure.”

She quietly set everything back in place and said if he needed anything else to call her with the button. Then she left him to the judgemental beeping of the vital monitors as he fell back to sleep.

 

$$$$$

A rapid knock for the third time that day woke Noctis from his peaceful, medicated sleep. “Huuu, who is it?”, he grumbled, pulling the sheets up over his head.

The door opened without a voice responding to the tired raven. He heard frantic footsteps race over to him and put trembling, firm hands on his side. “...Noct?”

Noctis flipped over, his eyes fluttering open to see Prompto’s tearful aquas searching his face. “Prompto?”

“Oh, Noct… Noct, you’re okay, thank God… I was so afraid when they told me that guy brought you in unconscious…” He leaned over and cried into his best friend’s lap, holding nothing back. “Noct, I’m so happy you’re okay…”

“Me? What about you? You said someone raped you,” Noctis said, peering down to see the blonde’s face. “Prompto, look at me, please? Are you okay?”

Prompto nodded, wiping his dripping snot with his sweater sleeve and he looked into Noctis’s deep sapphires. “I’m… fine, just a couple bruises. That guy, um, Ignis? Yeah, he found me and I’m okay now. But what did the doctor say about you? Are you hurt? Are you dying?! Noct, please tell me!”

The raven didn’t say anything for awhile, sitting up and thrumming his thumbs in his lap. Prompto carefully lowered his bottom onto the bed beside him, watching his friend so intently with an arm over his shoulders.

“Noct? What did he say?”

Noctis sighed, avoiding his friend’s gaze. “I, um… he said… Prompto?”

Prompto nodded expectantly. “Yeah, Noct? I’m here, buddy,” he smiled, hugging his arm.

“Did you, um, know about the… about the pills?”

For a moment, Prompto just sat there watching for any change in his friend’s expression, studying him for any sign of weakness or drowsiness. He knew Noctis could have died from this, and it hurt him worse than anything to understand the kind of harm Noctis hid from him for so long.

If he had just mentioned it to the blonde instead of keeping it inside and letting it fester into an imminent danger, then maybe they’d be home relaxing, watching their favorite cartoon shows. Hospitals were no place for reunions.

Prompto thought hard about which response would suit the question Noctis dared to ask him, knowing that it hadn’t been easy for him. Still, he felt so relieved that his raven friend finally did confess to what was slowly killing him.

Taking a deep, shaky breath, he looked Noctis intensely in the face, holding onto his hand for support. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to speak without crying. “Yeah… I knew about them, Noct,” his tone came out a bit monotone for the sake of holding back his sobs.

Noctis remained still, his face blank. “You did? Since when?” He asked this similar to the innocence of a child in asking why what they did was wrong.

“A long time... in other words, since you first started taking them.”

“How come you never said anything?”

The way Noctis kept using that innocent tone made Prompto want to cry, a great lump growing in his throat. He focused his gaze on his friend’s pale, dry hand as he smoothed his fingers over it. “I didn’t want to upset you. I didn’t want you to think I was just being a nosy jackass, butting into your personal problems.”

Noctis laughed, returning Prompto’s squeeze. “But I’m YOUR personal problem, Prompto. If you’ve got something to say, say it. Don’t worry about whether or not I’m gonna tell you to go fuck yourself, you’re my best friend!”

Prompto lifted his gaze to slightly smile at him, the very beginnings of tears in his bright blue eyes. “I just remember all the times you told me to back off, and when you’d threaten to hit me if I didn't. But I’m glad you finally said something, Noct.”

“Yeah, I uh, remember that too… but it’s different now.”

“It is?”

“Of course it is. I’m gonna get better, Prompto, once I get back from… rehab…” He fell quiet.

“Rehab? They’re sending you to rehab?”

Noctis nodded, lowering his head, the dread of it filling his eyes in tears.

“Oh, Noct… how bad is it?”

“My heart’s sick, Prompto…”

Noctis broke down in a stream of tears and leaned forward into Prompto’s lap, gripping his legs as a frightened child would its mother. His constant wailing beckoned for the blonde’s tears to fall just as fast as he held his trembling form.

Prompto hugged him tightly, wishing he could take all this pain away from his best friend who suffered daily. This was a terrifying revelation for Noctis, and Prompto’s warm embrace wasn’t nearly enough to comfort his fear of having to face himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it's out in the open now, but what does that mean for poor little Noct?
> 
> And Gladio tries, but Noct keeps pushing him away, huh?
> 
> Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, finished yet another chapter for this one and I really like the direction I'm going in with it!
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> (P.S. I'm so in love with Noct and Prompto's friendship, and I'm glad I didn't delete this story after all :) )

“Hey,” Prompto called, turning Noctis’s gifted stuffed skunk over in his hands. “You wanna bring him too?”

The raven gave him an innocent smirk. “Sure. Why not?”

Noctis's expression, coupled with his rather happy tone of voice, made Prompto feel very reassured about the whole thing. “That guy… he gave it to you, huh? You guys have something special going on?”

“I sure as hell hope not,” Noctis stated clearly. “He’s as rude as you could ever get.”

“Didn’t seem that way to me…~” His sly glance had the raven scoffing at his playful notion.

“Shut up,” he laughed, zipping up his last bag for his trip. He had been dreading this day ever since his doctor scheduled for an appointment at the rehab center, every red mark off of the calendar week dragged it closer and closer.

Up until this day, Noctis had tried repeatedly to come up with excuses or arguments as to why he should stay and forget rehab, his biggest one being their lack of money for rent and groceries. But he was always corrected by his blonde friend, who reminded him that this trip was far more important than money.

His life depended on it.

Prompto told him he would take care of the rent and basic necessities, working later and picking up extra shifts to make ends meet. They would be a whole paycheck less with Noctis recovering in rehab, but Prompto was resolute in affirming that he’d make it work.

Since they woke up that morning, Prompto had to constantly talk his best friend down from those second thoughts full of regret. Helping him pack was a chore in and of itself, and Noctis's parade of whining caused a slight stir in how often the blonde tucked another belonging into his bags.

“Are you sure you’re gonna be able to come up with rent by the end of this week? I mean, we only have so much in our savings, and with the hospital bills and-”

“Noct,” Prompto turned to him with a warm smile and patted his shoulder, squeezing lightly. “I’ll make it work, I promise. And you promised me that you’d get better, remember?”

Noctis shrugged, slinging a bag across his shoulder. “Yeah, I know… I just…”

“Just what, buddy?”

“Just,” he let out a long sigh, his breath hitching in the middle. “I’m gonna miss you, Prompto…”

A rude honk from the taxi parked by the curb outside alerted them that it was time for Noctis to leave. Prompto’s packing slowed, and the hard reality began settling in that he’d be alone in this cold, empty apartment for Lord knows how long. He and Noctis had never been apart for practically their entire lives since the moment they were born. They grew up together, and to face this now knowing that Noctis’s life was in danger seemed so terrifying.

Noctis said nothing else for the last few minutes of packing up his things. He just sulked around with a pair of socks like he’d suddenly just lost awareness of himself, sniffing the evidence of his tears away. He seemed so lost, so afraid, and Prompto understood; at least, in the simple ways. 

He couldn’t even begin to guess how upset all this change affected his best friend, not with the subtle ways Noctis was always able to hide his emotions so well behind an innocent shrug and his trademark lopsided smirk. He wished, for a moment, that he could switch places with him, just to be able to sympathize in the sorrow and hurt he was going through right now.

Or better yet, go to rehab for him. Oh, if only it were that simple, but life is never so simple.

Prompto walked into the kitchen and pulled their basket of chips and crackers off the top of the fridge, grabbing a box of zesty ranch Cheez-its (Noctis’s favorite) and dumping a bunch into a plastic baggie. He returned to the living room and smiled, unzipping the front pocket of Noctis’s duffle. “I’m packing a snack for ya, buddy. For the road, y’know…”

Noctis turned, but before his lips became a full grin, his eyes widened at the pocket Prompto was about to open. He jumped for the duffle. “Wait, Prompto, don’t-” Shit. He froze, tightening his fists and grimacing in defeat as Prompto slowly lifted a small, rectangular carton out of the pocket by his thumb and forefinger.

“Noct,” he said, voice measured and quiet. “What are these?” He jangled it in front of his friend, his blue eyes a whirlpool of seriousness, concern, panic, and upright disappointment.

Noctis let out the breath of guilt he’d been holding, avoiding Prompto’s gaze. “What do you think they are?”

“Noct, please. Don’t try to brush this off. Why do you have these?”

He shrugged, hand held out for the item, but he flinched when Prompto pulled back. “I dunno, I just do. Give ‘em back, Prompto,” he says forcefully, attempting to stay calm. “C’mon, I’m gonna be late.”

“Just tell me why,” the blonde insists, unable to hide his immense worry as his voice finally cracks. “Why? You know these are bad for you, and your heart!”

“Prompto,” he scoffed, taking up a nonchalant, very humorous attitude. “Doesn’t matter why, it helps me relax, okay? Now give ‘em back.” His hand reached for it this time, but Prompto only backed up further. “Prompto, now. I’m late.”

“No,” he said resolutely, hiding the carton behind his back. “You don’t need them.”

He reached farther for them. “Prompto-”

“No!” He bolted for the bathroom, his fingers clutching the carton like it was a curse haunting his best friend’s life. Noctis ran after him, shouting, and it made Tonya scurry under their bed.

“Prompto!! Give it back!”

“No!”

The bathroom door flew open as Prompto, out of breath and his heart pounding, flipped the toilet seat up and held the carton above the water. But before it fell out his hand, Noctis slammed him up against the wall, hands desperately groping for the carton; and he didn’t seem to care how hard he hurled himself at the blonde. Prompto struggled against Noctis’s prying attempts, holding the carton tight behind his back and switching it between both hands to keep Noctis guessing.

“Prompto, give it back!”, the raven demanded.

Prompto gasped when Noctis unintentionally kneed him in the crotch. “No!”

Noctis pushed on him harder as he tried to rip Prompto’s vice gripping fingers away from the carton. But the resilience and determination in his friend’s grip presented a bigger challenge than he expected. “Prompto, dammit! Give the fucking thing back, now!”

He kneed him again. Prompto trembled in pain, but he kept it up. He wasn’t going to let Noctis continue to torture his ill body with his numerous vices. He felt he was the only one able to prevent Noctis’s possible premature death, if it ever drifted that far. He was his best friend, his companion, his rock. Life would never be the same without Noctis.

Prompto knew what addiction and codependency did to people, and this is exactly what he was seeing now: Noctis’s anger seemed almost supernatural, his new drug of choice, in the raven’s mind, was like his baby. His lifeline. He’d heard stories of people dying from cancer caused by smoking, and he had to prevent Noctis from suffering the same fate.

Prompto was the only living obstacle in keeping Noctis from falling over the edge.

“Noct, wait!” He pushed him away, Noctis’s grip going slack. He waited for a couple minutes as he tried to catch his breath, still holding the carton tight. “Please,” he pressed. “Please, just tell me… Why do you have to smoke? It’s so bad for you.”

Noctis’s anger fizzled out for now, avoiding his friend’s gaze was the only way he could keep from flaring up again. “I just… I like it, okay? Like I said, it helps me relax. Now, give it back, Prompto.” He held out his hand, but Prompto still stood back. “Prompto, I’m late, dammit!”

“Will you promise me something?”

He sighed in disbelief, rolling his eyes. “What?”

“Promise me again that you’ll get better, and you can keep smoking. Just as long as you don’t do it in the apartment.” He feigned a smile, trying to get him to believe his words.

“Ok.”

“Promise?”

“I said okay! Now, c’mon!” He stuck his hand out further, desperate for those little rolled up sticks of cancer waiting to happen.

But in the path between Noctis’s hand and his own fingers, he dropped it in the toilet and rushed to press down on the flush handle. Noctis’s eyes went wide, mouth agape as all 6 bucks he spent on those things were literally going down the toilet. Prompto shut the lid with a satisfied slam, smiling, before Noctis ripped him out of the bathroom and threw him to the floor.

He gasped, hands flying up in defense as Noctis hovered over him, teeth flashed and jaw clenched in the most angry glare Prompto remarks as the most frightening thing he's ever seen. “Ah!- Noct?!”

He hits him. Hard. Harder than ever. “Prompto, you JERK! You little shithead! Why did I ever think I could trust you?!” He throws punches repeatedly at the blonde’s face, knuckles quickly becoming bloody.

“Noct, stop! Stop! I’m s-sorry, please!” His hands were a weak shield against Noctis’s drug-fueled anger, the punches starting to feel numb. His nose cracked and he knew it was broken from the shooting pain in the front of his head, it was the only thing he protected now. “Please…” He was crying, tears and blood pouring all over his face. “NOCT, STOP, PLEASE!”

But Noctis didn’t stop. He kept hitting and hitting and hitting, not even stopping when his knuckles began to hurt. His anger skyrocketed, everything in his life blurred between the day he was born and just a few seconds ago. All he thought about was the fact that Prompto flushed his cigarettes on purpose, wasting their money. He was mad, frustrated, furious, his punches hot and forceful as he thrust all his weight into them.

His anger didn’t even seem human right now. It was like some demon had possessed his body and taken a shine to Prompto, beating him into submission until he gave Noctis what he wanted. 

Prompto’s desperate shout was enough to finally bring him out of his trance. “NOCTIS! STOP!!!”

Noctis halted, falling back on his heels as he watched Prompto writhe against the carpet, his best friend’s blood staining the carpet. He dare not say anything yet. Prompto whimpered as his bloody fingers tried to stop the overwhelming flow of blood from his nose, almost hyperventilating from the shock of Noctis’s behavior.

Noctis tried to move closer, but Prompto backed away, his blue eyes dilated and fearful when saw Noctis come over to him. “No, g-get away from me,” he whined in pain. “Get away.”

“Prompto,” Noctis said softly, hands reaching out to comfort the victim of his outburst. “Your nose… Fuck, oh gods, Prompto… I’m sorry! Please, let me-”

“Leave me ALONE!” Prompto shoved him away, struggling to his feet and stumbling for the bathroom when Noctis grabbed at his sweatshirt.

“Prompto, please, I didn’t mean it!”

“Get out of here, Noct!” His shouts made Tonya mewl from under the bed as he pulled away from the raven’s grip. “I can’t take this anymore! Just… leave me alone… get out of my life! I can’t…” He broke down in tears, his nose still spilling blood. “All I try to d-do,” he hiccups, plopping on the toilet seat with his head leaning against the wall, “is help you. But you push me away! You keep building a wall between us. And it’s gotten to the point where I don’t even know who you ARE anymore!!”

Noctis’s own tears fell now, the guilt heavier on him than ever. The reality striking him out three times that he had just hurt and injured his best friend, the only person in the world who understands and tries to help. “Prompto, please,” he begs through heaving sobs. “Please, I can change! I promise - I swear I can-”

“Get out, Noct!! I hate you!!”

Noctis says nothing else. He runs out of their apartment, hands and pockets void of any belongings, and slams the door, leaving his trail of tears behind in his wake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor little Prompto... It's all boiling over now.
> 
> Thank you for reading this!


End file.
